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Botas to Complete Repair on Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline in Turkey

Oil&Gas Materials 18 August 2008 18:58 (UTC +04:00)

Azerbaijan, Baku, 18 August / Trend corr. E.Ismayilov, S.Ilhamgizi / The Azerbaijani oil transport via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline will be restored soon. An explosion broke out on the Turkish section of the pipeline, Huseyn Sagir, head of the Department on Media issues of the Botas International Limited, told Trend via a telephone.

"The exact date has not been announced so far. However, the repair works are expected to be completed on the Turkish section of the pipeline soon and the oil transport will be restored," Sagir said.

Turkish official security departments will announce the explosion reason. Botas carries out repair on the Turkish section of the pipeline at its own expenses. Azerbaijan and Gergia can render their assistance if it will be necessary, Sagir said.

On the night of 5 August, an explosion broke out on BTC part, which running through Arzincan, Turkey

Azerbaijan International Operating Company (BP-operated), which carries out full-scale development of Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli fields in Azerbaijan section of Caspian, reduced production because of the fire on the pipeline. BP does not announce volume of reduction, but as a result of July, it totaled 870,000 barrels per day.

The production was lowered because of the termination of export along the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and the filling up of reservoirs in Sangachal oil terminal of BP Company.

The total length of BTC is 1,768km, 443km running through Azerbaijan, 249 - Georgia and 1,706 - Turkey. The construction of the pipeline began in April 2003 and it was made operational on 18 May 2005.

The construction of BTC cost $4bln excluding the expenses incurred to fill the pipeline, financial expenditures and payment of the bank interest rates. The financial credit totaled to $2.6bln.

The shareholders of BTC are BP (30.1%), AzBTC (25%), Chevron (8.90%), StatoilHydro (8.71%), TRAO (6.53%), Eni (5%), Total (5%), Itochu (3.40%), Inpex (2.50%), ConocoPhilips (2.50%) and Hess (2.36%).

The correspondent can be contacted at: [email protected]

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