Kazakhstan Begins Kashagan Oil Shipments via Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline
Kazakhstan has shipped its first batch of Kashagan crude oil through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, marking a key step in diversifying export routes, KazMunayGas (KMG) reported on Jan. 27.
Around 6,000 tons of oil were loaded onto the Taraz tanker in Aktau on Jan. 25 and arrived at Baku’s Sangachal terminal on Jan. 27. From there, the oil will be transported via the BTC pipeline to the Mediterranean.
This was made possible by a Jan. 15 agreement between SOCAR Midstream Operations, a subsidiary of Azerbaijan’s SOCAR, and KMG Trading. The deal allows for the annual transit of 240,000 tons of Kashagan oil.
Kazakhstan has been increasing oil exports via Azerbaijan since signing a general transit agreement in 2022. In March 2023, KMG and SOCAR agreed to gradually raise transit volumes to 2.2 million tons per year.
The shipment aligns with Kazakhstan’s strategy to expand alternative export routes and develop the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR).
Photo credit: kmg.kz
