Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend I.Khalilova / The Baku-Supsa oil pipeline, which ceased operation in October 2006, will be restored work in March 2007, Rovnag Abdullayev, the President of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), said on 27 September.
The Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC), an operator of the Baku-Supsa pipeline, monitored the soil movement in a section of the pipeline in the Georgian village of Zestafoni. An inconsiderable slide was fixed, necessitating the construction of a by-pass section of the pipeline with a length of 1,000m. Georgia needs approximately $6mln for its construction.
The German company MLG will construct the by-pass section of the Baku-Supsa oil pipeline in Georgia.
"BP intends to restore pumping of Azerbaijani oil via the Baku-Supsa only after the provision of all security norms," he said.
Until ceasing operations, the Baku-Supsa oil pipeline transported light oil produced by the AIOC from the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli fields.