Azerbaijan, Baku, 25 August / Trend corr. E.Ismayilov, S.Ilhamgizi / The first Azerbaijani tanker with light oil will be loaded in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline on 26 August, Huseyn Sagir, head of the Botas International Limited on Media issues, said. The oil pumping via the pipeline is continuing and oil is filled to reservoirs into terminals in Ceyhan port.
We will load the first tanker on 26 August. At present, Azerbaijani gas is filled into reservoirs," Sagir said.
BP Azerbaijan reported that the Azeri Light oil production and export is stabilizing.
"We gradually increase the oil production from the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli field and raw material export via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline," is stated from the company. BP plans to reach the oil export more than 800,000 barrels per day via BTC. This oil volume had been transport via the pipeline before the explosion.
At present, the oil pump in BTC comprises 600,000 barrels per day. Oil is injected to pipelines from reservoirs in the Sangachal terminal.
Fire broke out on BTC section, which goes via the Turkish Arzincan city, on 5 August.
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%).
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