Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 24 /Trend E. Ismayilov /
The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) will pump 2 million tons of oil via the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline in 2011 compared to 2.25 million this year, the company said.
SOCAR will pump roughly 540,000 tons of oil in the first quarter of 2011. Roughly 165,000 tons of the total amount of oil to be pumped via Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline in the first quarter, will fall to January, 210,000 tons - February and 165,000 tons - March.
SOCAR has already sent the application of pumping these volumes to Russian "Transneft".
In 2009, Azerbaijan pumped 2.5 million tons of oil via the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline compared to 1.2 million tons in 2008.
SOCAR transships its own oil, as well as oil of joint ventures and operating companies operating in Azerbaijan's onshore fields, through Novorossiysk.
Azerbaijan exports URALS oil from the Novorossiysk port, which is delivered via the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline. The high quality Azerbaijani oil, including Azeri Light, is blended with other oil brands in the Russian pipeline system and is sold from the Novorossiysk Port as URALS.
Until late 2007, AIOC was the operator of Baku-Novorossiysk. The structure then transferred these functions to SOCAR.