Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend S. Aliyev / Mukhtar Babayev, the head of the Marketing and Economic Operations Department of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), reported on 4 May that the Azerbaijani International Operation Company (AIOC) had the intentions to transmit the operating of the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline to the SOCAR.
The period of validity of the agreements on the pipeline concluded between the AIOC and Transneft (Russian oil company) will expire on 31 December, 2007.
As to the transportation of oil from Kazakhstan through the pipeline, Babayev noted that the issue had to be considered by the Transneft.
The tariff for transportation of 1 ton of oil through the Baku-Novorossiysk accounts for $15.67. Babayev added that the operation of Baku-Supsa pipeline suspended in October, 2006 was to be restored in August. However, the AIOC (the operator of the pipeline) made the decision to construct a bypass line with the length of 1km. "Due to the construction work the restoration of the operation can be delayed," he said.