The first tanker with the Azerbaijani oil produced from the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli fields will be delivered from the Turkish port Ceyhan in May 2006, Natik Aliyev, the Azerbaijani Minister for Industry and Energy, stated to a meeting a working group on energy cooperation of BSEC member-countries.
According to the energy minister, the oil has reached the second pump station in Turkey. Now the testing of devices is underway. Simultaneously, the work at the third pump station also continues. Testing and acceptance of pump stations are carried out not only by the Turkish company Botas, also a German company attracted for the implementation of the process, he said.
Aliyev noted that obviously the delay of the project increases the expenses, in particular, the payment of salaries. However, at present the exact sum of additional expenses spent on the project is unknown, Aliyev concluded.