Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend V.Sharifov / Oil pumping via the Baku-Supsa western oil pipeline will be resumed no sooner than July-August.
The State Oil Company reported that during the work in the western oil pipeline the Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC), operated by BP, revealed some technical obstacles to restore oil pumping. It occurred upon use of electron scrapers for obtaining data on pipeline. As a result, oil pumping as halted in November 2006.
Work is carried out in the 150km section of the pipeline running in the territory of Georgia. The volume of oil produced from Chirag field, and transportation via the Baku-Supsa pipeline was re-directed to the Baku-Novorossiysk route. If partners on Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli fields used to receive Azeri Light oil in Supsa, in Novorossiysk they will receive Urals oil.
From April AIOC is ceasing oil pumping by rail and via the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline. Oil delivered through these routes, will be re-directed via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. It is explained by incase of discharge capacity of the pipeline to its project capacity in the amount of 1mln barrels a day. At the present time approximately 600,000 barrels oil is pumped a day.