The first batch of Kazakh oil from the Tengiz field via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline was shipped from Turkey's Ceyhan Port on April 22, according to News.Az.

The shipment of 665 thousand barrels (83,200 tons) was loaded onto the tanker "Alatau" on Saturday in a loading ceremony attended by delegations from SOCAR, KazMunayGas, Tengizchevroil, Kazmortransflot, and their subsidiaries.

According to SOCAR Midstream Operations LLC, the milestone was achieved following continuous oil supplies from the port of Aktau in Kazakhstan to the Sangachal Terminal of Azertrans in Azerbaijan, with subsequent transportation to the BTC system, which began in March 2023.

The transportation of Kazakh oil through BTC is being carried out under the Master Agreement between SOCAR and KazMunayGas, with a goal to transit 1.5 million tons of oil annually, with the loading of the next batch of Kazakh oil onto a tanker at the port of Ceyhan is scheduled for the end of May 2023.

The successful shipment of the first batch of Kazakh oil via the BTC pipeline represents a significant achievement in strengthening the partnership between SOCAR and KazMunayGas. Additionally, it underscores the importance of regional energy cooperation, highlighting the strategic importance of the BTC pipeline as a key route for the transportation of Caspian oil to world markets.

BTC carries oil from the Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gunashli and condensates from Shah Deniz fields, as well as from other sources. BTC's current throughput capacity is 1.2 million barrels per day or 50 million tons per year.

Since the 1,768 km BTC pipeline became operational in June 2006 till the end of 2022, it carried a total of 3.99 billion barrels (more than 531 million tons) of crude oil loaded on 5,244 tankers and sent to world markets. And on January 18, 2023, BTC achieved the 4 billion barrels of oil export milestone.

This development highlights the growing significance of regional cooperation in the energy sector and the importance of the BTC pipeline in facilitating the transportation of Caspian oil to global markets.