SOCAR takes over operatorship functions for Baku-Supsa oil pipeline

SOCAR has officially taken over operatorship functions for the Azerbaijani section of the Baku-Supsa oil pipeline under previously agreed arrangements governing the management of the country’s export infrastructure.

The transfer does not mean that BP is leaving the project. The company will retain its shareholding interest in the pipeline while handing over operatorship responsibilities in line with contractual obligations. 

BP has said the move is part of long-standing agreements covering the future transfer of export pipeline operations and follows a similar process previously implemented for the South Caucasus Pipeline. 

The Baku-Supsa pipeline, also known as the Western Route Export Pipeline, was commissioned in 1999 and links Azerbaijan’s Sangachal terminal with Georgia’s Black Sea port of Supsa. The pipeline has an annual capacity of about 7.5 million tonnes of crude oil. 

Azerbaijan and Georgia have recently stepped up efforts to restore the route’s full operation as it is increasingly viewed as a potential corridor for transporting Caspian crude to international markets. 

N.Tebrizli