The first shipment of oil from Kazakhstan's Kashagan field has been sent to the port of Baku for further transport via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) route, the KazMunayGas national company's press service said on Monday.
"The Kazakh tanker Taraz with Kashagan oil has departed the port of Aktau for Baku. The oil will then be transported via the BTC pipeline system to the Mediterranean Sea," the press service said.
Kazakhstan previously shipped oil to BTC from the Tengiz field.
"In March 2024, an agreement was signed to boost the volume of oil transit from 1.5 million to 2.2 million tonnes per year. Oil supplies began specifically from Kashagan as part of the agreement," KazMunayGas' press service said.
KMG Kashagan B.V. was the oil exporter.
As reported, Kazakhstan began deliveries via BTC in 2023 in order to diversify oil export routes. The State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) and KazMunayGas signed an agreement to transport 1.5 million tonnes of domestic oil per year via the pipeline. Exports began in April 2023.
Kazakhstan shipped 1.057 million tonnes of oil in 2023 and 1.4 million tonnes of oil in 2024 from the port of Aktau to Azerbaijan for subsequent export via BTC.
Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry last week said that there are plans to transport 1.5 million tonnes of oil via BTC in 2025.
