Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov.18/ Trend , E.Ismayilov /
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline transported 1.7 million tons of the Turkmen oil in January-October compared to 860,400 tons in January-October 2010, the Azerbaijani State Statistics Committee said on Thursday.
"During this period, the BTC transported 1.7 million tons of transit Turkmen oil," the report reads.
The oil is transported under contracts signed between SOCAR, Dragon Oil producing oil in Turkmenistan. The contract between the parties was extended until late 2011.
Oil transportation via the BTC began in July, 2010. In 2010, the BTC transported 1.3 million tons of Turkmen oil.
SOCAR Trading buys and transports oil from producers in Turkmenistan across the Caspian Sea to the BTC entrance flange at the Sangachal Terminal in Baku. The BTC Co. then transports the oil via the BTC to SOCAR Trading at the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, Turkey.
Earlier the BTC also transported oil from the Kazakh Tengiz Field, which is operated by Tengizchevroil (Chevron). However, oil shipments were suspended earlier in 2010 due to the non-coordination of transportation conditions.
BTC Co. shareholders are: BP (30.1 percent); AzBTC (25 percent); Chevron (8.90 percent); Statoil (8.71 percent); ТРАО (6.53 percent); Eni (5 percent); Total (5 percent); Itochu (3.40 percent); Inpex (2.50 percent); ConocoPhillips (2.50 percent); and Amerada Hess (2.36 percent).
The BTC's pumping capacity is 1.2 million barrels of oil per day.