Azerbaijan, Baku, May 4 / Trend E.Ismayilov /
The Black Sea Oil Terminal of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) Kulevi (Georgia) plans to increase its own oil cargo transshipment up to four million tons per year, a source in the terminal said. Currently, the terminal operates at the rate of 2.3-2.4 million tons of oil cargo a year.
"The terminal plans to increase shipment to 4 million through attraction of additional cargo handling in the near future, "the source added.
The source said in the first quarter of 2010, the terminal shipped more than 550,000 tons of oil cargo, or a 15-percent increase over the same period of 2009.
Earlier the Georgian government reported that, in 2009, the Kulevi terminal shipped 2.1 million tons compared to1.3 million tons in 2008. In 2009, the terminal processed 99 ships compared to 65 ships in 2008.
The terminal was put into operation in summer 2008. Its total capacity is 10 million tons of oil per year, including 3 million tons of oil, 3 million tons of diesel fuel, and 4 million tons of fuel oil.
The terminal can accommodate up to 168 tank cars. The tank farm's total volume is 320,000 cubic meters with the possibility of increasing to 380,000 cubic meters. The port has two berths to load petroleum products in tankers of up to 100,000 tons.
Loading productivity ranges from 1,000 to 8,000 cubic meters per hour. The railway station, which can simultaneously accommodate up to 180 carriage awaiting discharge of cargo, serves to the port. The railway trestle can simultaneously unload 168 carriages.