View source for Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline

{{Infobox pipeline
| name        = Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline
| type        = oil
| photo       = 
| caption     = 
| map         = Baku pipelines.svg
| map_caption = Location of Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline
| country     = [[Azerbaijan]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Turkey]]
| coordinates = 
| operator    = [[BP]]
| partners    = [[BP]], [[State Oil Company of Azerbaijan|SOCAR]], [[Chevron Corporation|Chevron]], [[Statoil]], [[Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı|TPAO]], [[Eni]], [[Total S.A.]], [[Itochu]], [[Inpex]], [[ConocoPhillips]], [[Hess Corporation]]
| length_km   = 1768
| discharge   = {{convert|1|Moilbbl|m3}} of oil per day
| direction   = east–south-west
| start       = [[Baku]] ([[Sangachal Terminal]]), [[Azerbaijan]]
| finish      = [[Ceyhan]], [[Turkey]]
| est         = 2006
| through     = [[Tbilisi]] Georgia, [[Erzurum]] Turkey, [[Sarız]] Turkey
| par         = [[South Caucasus Pipeline]]
}}
{{Economy of Turkey}}
The '''Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline''' is a {{convert|1768|km|mi}} long [[petroleum|crude oil]] pipeline from the [[Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli]] [[oil field]] in the [[Caspian Sea]] to the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. It connects [[Baku]], the capital of [[Azerbaijan]] and [[Ceyhan]], a port on the south-eastern Mediterranean coast of [[Turkey]], via [[Tbilisi]], the capital of [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]. It is the second-longest [[Pipeline transport|oil pipeline]] in the former Soviet Union, after the [[Druzhba pipeline]]. The first oil that was pumped from the Baku end of the pipeline reached Ceyhan on 28 May 2006.<!-- please don't change to 2005; 2006 is correct year --><ref name=azer2006>
{{cite news
 | newspaper = Azerbaijan International
 | first = Tamam | last = Bayatli
 | url = http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai143_folder/143_articles/143_bp_developments.html
 | title = Tankers Finally Leave Ceyhan Port for World Markets
 | date = Autumn 2006
 | accessdate = 2014-09-01}}
</ref>

==History==

===Planning===
The [[Caspian Sea]] lies above one of the world's largest collections of oil and gas fields. As the sea is landlocked, transporting oil to Western markets is complicated. During Soviet times, all transportation routes from the Caspian region were through Russia. The collapse of the Soviet Union inspired a search for new routes. Russia first insisted that the new pipeline should pass through its territory, then declined to participate.<ref name=kommersant/><ref name=pravda>
{{cite news
 | publisher= Pravda
 | title = Moscow Negative About Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline
 | url= http://english.pravda.ru/main/18/89/357/11772_pipeline.html
 | date= 2004-01-13
 | accessdate=2007-12-30}}
</ref>

In the spring of 1992, the Turkish Prime Minister [[Süleyman Demirel]] proposed to Central Asian countries including Azerbaijan that the pipeline run through Turkey. The first document on the construction of the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline was signed between Azerbaijan and Turkey on 9 March 1993 in [[Ankara]].<ref name=dailynews2>
{{cite news
 | newspaper = [[Hürriyet Daily News]]
 | title = Timeline of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline 
 | url = http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/timeline-of-the-baku-tbilisi-ceyhan-pipeline.aspx?pageID=438&n=timeline-of-the-baku-tbilisi-ceyhan-pipeline-2006-07-13
 | date = 2006-07-13 
 | accessdate = 2016-10-24
 | deadurl = no
 | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20161024173903/http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/timeline-of-the-baku-tbilisi-ceyhan-pipeline.aspx?pageID=438&n=timeline-of-the-baku-tbilisi-ceyhan-pipeline-2006-07-13
 | archivedate = 2016-10-24 
 |df = dmy}}
</ref>  The Turkish route meant a pipeline from Azerbaijan would run through Georgia or [[Armenia]], but the route through Armenia was politically impossible due to the unresolved war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the [[Nagorno-Karabakh war|status of Nagorno-Karabakh]]. This left the circuitous Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey route, longer and more expensive to build than the other option.<ref name=silkroad6/>

The project gained momentum following the Ankara Declaration, adopted on 29 October 1998 by [[President of Azerbaijan]] [[Heydar Aliyev]], [[President of Georgia]] [[Eduard Shevardnadze]], [[list of Presidents of Kazakhstan|President of Kazakhstan]] [[Nursultan Nazarbayev]], [[President of Turkey]] [[Süleyman Demirel]], and [[President of Uzbekistan]] [[Islam Karimov]]. The declaration was witnessed by the [[United States Secretary of Energy]] [[Bill Richardson]], who expressed strong support for the pipeline.  The intergovernmental agreement in support of the pipeline was signed by Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey on 18 November 1999, during a meeting of the [[Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe]] (OSCE) in [[Istanbul]], Turkey.<ref name=silkroad6>
{{cite journal
 | publisher= The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Silk Road Studies Program
 | first= Zeyno | last = Baran
 | authorlink = Zeyno Baran
 | title = The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Implications for Turkey
 | url= http://www.silkroadstudies.org/component/jifile/download/MTc3NTAwNDI4NGJjMzMxODZiMmM1MmQxOGJiMGRlNjU=/btc-6-pdf.html
 | journal= The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Oil Window to the West
 | pages=103–118
 | format=PDF
 | year=2005
 | accessdate=2007-12-30}}
</ref>

===Construction===
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Company (BTC Co.) was established in London on 1 August 2002.<ref name=alex1>
{{cite news
 | publisher= Alexander's Gas & Oil Connections
 | title = Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Company founded
 | url=http://www.gasandoil.com/goc/company/cnc23849.htm
 | date = 2002-08-30
 | accessdate=2007-12-30}}
</ref>  The ceremony launching construction of the pipeline was held on 18 September 2002.<ref name=bbc1>
{{cite news
 | publisher= BBC News
 | title = Caspian pipeline dream becomes reality
 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2263611.stm
 | date = 2002-09-17
 | accessdate=2007-12-30| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20071203185710/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2263611.stm| archivedate= 3 December 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}
</ref>  Construction began in April 2003 and was completed in 2005.  The Azerbaijan section was constructed by [[Consolidated Contractors Company|Consolidated Contractors International]] of Greece, and Georgia's section was constructed by a joint venture of France’s [[AMEC|Spie Capag]] and  UK Petrofac International. The Turkish section was constructed by [[BOTAŞ]] Petroleum Pipeline Corporation. [[Bechtel]] was the main contractor for engineering, procurement and construction.<ref name=alex1/>

===Inauguration===
On 25 May 2005, the pipeline was inaugurated at the [[Sangachal Terminal]] by President [[Ilham Aliyev]] of the Azerbaijan Republic, President [[Mikhail Saakashvili]] of Georgia and President [[Ahmet Sezer]] of Turkey, joined by President [[Nursultan Nazarbayev]] of Kazakhstan and [[United States Secretary of Energy]] [[Samuel Bodman]].<ref name=edm310505>
{{cite news
 | publisher = [[The Jamestown Foundation]]
 | newspaper = [[Eurasia Daily Monitor]]
 | first = Vladimir | last = Socor
 | authorlink = Vladimir Socor
 | url = http://www.jamestown.org/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=30462
 | title = Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline Inaugurated
 | date = 2005-05-31
 | accessdate = 2014-09-01}}
</ref><ref name=bbc2>
{{cite news
 | publisher= BBC News
 | title = Giant Caspian oil pipeline opens
 | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4577497.stm
 | date = 2005-05-25
 | accessdate=2007-12-30}}
</ref>  The inauguration of the Georgian section was hosted by President Mikheil Saakashvili at the pumping station near [[Gardabani]] on 12 October 2005.<ref name=rferl>
{{cite news
 | publisher= RFERL
 | title = Georgia: Regional Leaders Inaugurate Oil Pipeline Amid Environmental Concerns
 | author=Jean-Christophe Peuch
 | url= http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/e5ce7b6a-4d3c-4bb1-af9b-74bdc62c6e83.html
 | date = 2005-10-12
 | accessdate=2007-12-30| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080110065558/http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/e5ce7b6a-4d3c-4bb1-af9b-74bdc62c6e83.html| archivedate= 10 January 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}
</ref>  The inauguration ceremony at Ceyhan terminal was held on 13 July 2006.<ref name=azer2006/><ref name=bp3>
{{cite pressrelease
 |publisher=BP
 |title=BTC Celebrates Full Commissioning
 |url=http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9006615&contentId=7020655
 |date=2006-07-13
 |accessdate=2007-12-30
 |deadurl=yes
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030113814/http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9006615&contentId=7020655 
 |archivedate=2007-10-30 
 |df= dmy}}
</ref>

The pipeline was gradually filled with 10 million barrels of oil flowing from Baku and reaching [[Ceyhan]] on 28 May 2006.<ref name=azer2006/>  The first oil was loaded at the Ceyhan Marine Terminal (Haydar Aliyev Terminal) onto a tanker named ''British Hawthorn''.<ref name=turkishweekly2>
{{cite news
 | publisher= Turkish Weekly
 | title = Caspian Oil Reaches Turkey's Mediterranean Port Ceyhan
 | url= http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=32563
 | date = 2006-05-29
 | accessdate=2007-03-01}}
</ref>  The tanker sailed on 4 June 2006 with about {{convert|600000|oilbbl|m3}} of crude oil.<ref name=azer2006/><ref name=downstream050606>
{{cite news
 | publisher= Downstream Today
 | title = BP: First Ship Loads Oil from New Caspian Pipeline
 | url= http://www.downstreamtoday.com/News/Articles/200606/BP_First_Ship_Loads_Oil_from_New_Caspia_722.aspx
 | date = 2006-06-05
 | accessdate=2008-11-02}}
</ref>

==Description==
[[Image:Oil pipelines in Europe.png|thumb|350px|Petroleum pipelines to Europe]]

===Route===
The {{convert|1768|km|mi}} long pipeline starts at the [[Sangachal Terminal]] near Baku in Azerbaijan, crosses Georgia and terminates at the Ceyhan Marine Terminal (Haydar Aliyev Terminal) on the south-eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. {{convert|443|km|mi}} of the pipeline lie in Azerbaijan, {{convert|249|km|mi}} in Georgia and {{convert|1076|km|mi}} in Turkey. It crosses several mountain ranges at altitudes to {{convert|2830|m|ft|-2}}.<ref name=bp2/>  It also traverses 3,000&nbsp;roads, railways, and utility lines—both overground and underground—and 1,500&nbsp;watercourses up to {{convert|500|m|ft|-2}} wide (in the case of the [[Ceyhan River]] in Turkey).<ref name=bp5>
{{cite journal
 |publisher=[[BP]] 
 |title=Caspian Connection 
 |journal=Frontiers Magazine 
 |url=http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/STAGING/global_assets/downloads/F/Frontiers_magazine_issue_7_Caspian_connection.pdf 
 |pages=18–26 
 |format=PDF 
 |date=August 2003 
 |accessdate=2008-11-02 
 |deadurl=yes 
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219210158/http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/STAGING/global_assets/downloads/F/Frontiers_magazine_issue_7_Caspian_connection.pdf 
 |archivedate=2008-12-19 
 |df= dmy}}
</ref>  The pipeline occupies a corridor eight meters wide, and is buried to a depth of at least one meter.<ref name=silkroad4>
{{cite journal
 |publisher=The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Silk Road Studies Program 
 |author=Svante E. Cornell, Fariz Ismailzade 
 |title=The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Implications for Azerbaijan 
 |url= http://www.silkroadstudies.org/component/jifile/download/MTc3NTAwNDI4NGJjMzMxODZiMmM1MmQxOGJiMGRlNjU=/btc-4-pdf.html
 |journal=The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Oil Window to the West 
 |pages=61–84 
 |format=PDF 
 |year=2005 
 |accessdate=2007-12-30 
 |deadurl= no 
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227022315/http://www.silkroadstudies.org/BTC_4.pdf 
 |archivedate=2008-02-27 
 |df= dmy}}
</ref>  The pipeline runs parallel to the [[South Caucasus Pipeline|South Caucasus Gas Pipeline]], which transports natural gas from the [[Sangachal Terminal]] to [[Erzurum]] in Turkey.<ref name=bp2/>  From [[Sarız]] to Ceyhan, the [[Samsun–Ceyhan pipeline|Samsun–Ceyhan oil pipeline]] will be parallel to the BTC pipeline.<ref name=iea>
{{cite journal
 | publisher= [[International Energy Agency]]
 |url= http://www.iea.org/Textbase/work/2006/energy_security/Cavanna.pdf
 | title = Trans Anatolian Pipeline Project
 | format = PDF
 | date = October 2006
 | accessdate=2007-04-26}}
</ref>

===Technical features===
The pipeline has a projected lifespan of 40&nbsp;years, and at normal capacity it transports {{convert|1|Moilbbl/d}}. It needs {{convert|10|Moilbbl}} of oil to fill the pipeline.<ref name=bp>
{{cite web
 |publisher=BP
 |title= Operations
 |url= http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9006669&contentId=7014361
 |accessdate=2007-03-01 
 |deadurl=yes 
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061014133033/http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9006669&contentId=7014361 
 |archivedate=2006-10-14 
 |df= dmy}}
</ref>  Oil flows at {{convert|2|m|ft}} per second.<ref name=bp5/>  There are eight pump stations, two in Azerbaijan, two in Georgia, four in Turkey. The project includes also the Ceyhan Marine Terminal (officially the Haydar Aliyev Terminal, named after the Azerbaijani late president [[Heydar Aliyev]]), three intermediate [[pigging]] stations, one pressure reduction station, and 101&nbsp;small block valves.<ref name=bp2>
{{cite web
 |publisher=[[BP]] 
 |title=Overview of the BTC pipeline 
 |url=http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9006669&contentId=7014358 
 |accessdate=2007-12-29 
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080125051855/http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9006669&contentId=7014358 
 |archivedate=25 January 2008 
 |deadurl=yes 
 |df= dmy}}
</ref> It was constructed from 150,000&nbsp;individual joints of line pipe, each measuring {{convert|12|m|ft}} in length.<ref name=bp5/>  This corresponds to a total weight of {{convert|655000|ST}}.<ref name=bp5/> The pipeline is {{convert|1070|mm|in}}  diameter for most of its length, narrowing to {{convert|865|mm|in}} diameter as it nears Ceyhan.<ref name=dillinger>{{cite web
 | publisher= Dillinger Hütte GTS
 | title = Dillinger plates for the BTC pipeline, the world's longest oil export pipeline
 | url= http://www.dillinger.de/dh/referenzen/linepipe/01611/index.shtml.en
 | accessdate=2007-12-30}}
</ref>

===Cost and financing===
The pipeline cost US$3.9 billion.<ref name=upstream2006>
{{cite news
 | url=http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article108550.ece
 | title=BTC costs hit $3.9bn
 | newspaper = [[Upstream (newspaper)|Upstream Online]]
 | publisher = NHST Media Group
 | date=2006-04-19
 |accessdate=2008-03-07}}
</ref> The construction created 10,000&nbsp;short-term jobs and the operation of the pipeline requires 1,000&nbsp;long-term employees across a 40-year period.<ref name=silkroad4/>  70% of the costs are funded by third parties, including the [[World Bank]]'s [[International Finance Corporation]], the [[European Bank for Reconstruction and Development]], export credit agencies of seven countries and a syndicate of 15&nbsp;commercial banks.<ref name=bp2/>

===Source of supply===
The pipeline is supplied by oil from Azerbaijan's [[Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli]] [[oil field]] in the [[Caspian Sea]] via the [[Sangachal Terminal]]. This pipeline may also transport oil from Kazakhstan's [[Kashagan Field|Kashagan oil field]] and other oil fields in [[Central Asia]].<ref name=kommersant>
{{cite news
 | publisher= Kommersant
 | title = Revolutions in the Pipeline
 | url= http://www.kommersant.com/page.asp?id=580345
 | date=2005-05-25
 | accessdate=2007-12-30| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20071211070956/http://www.kommersant.com/page.asp?id=580345| archivedate= 11 December 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}
</ref>  The government of Kazakhstan announced that it would build a [[Trans-Caspian Oil Pipeline|trans-Caspian oil pipeline]] from the Kazakhstani port of [[Aktau]] to Baku, but because of the opposition from both Russia and [[Iran]] it started to transport oil to the BTC pipeline by tankers across the Caspian Sea.<ref name=itar-tass>
{{cite news
 |publisher=Itar-Tass 
 |title=Kazakhstan starts transporting oil by Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline 
 |url=http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=13236773&PageNum=0 
 |date=2008-11-03 
 |accessdate=2008-11-11 
}}{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
</ref>

===Possible transhipment via Israel===
It has been proposed that oil from the pipeline be transported to eastern [[Asia]] via the Israeli oil terminals at [[Ashkelon]] and [[Eilat]], the overland trans-Israel sector being bridged by the [[Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline]] owned by the [[Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company]] (EAPC).<ref name=haaretz>
{{cite news
 | publisher= Haaretz.com
 | title = Israel proposes crude pipeline from Georgia to Eastern Asia
 | author=Avi Bar-Eli
 | url= http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/945484.html
 | date = 2008-01-17
 | accessdate=2008-01-19| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080120112856/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/945484.html| archivedate= 20 January 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}
</ref><ref name=tw3>
{{cite news
 | publisher= Turkish Weekly
 | title =  Israeli Pipeline: Ashelon-Eilat-The Second Breath
 | author=Rovshan Ibrahimov
 | url= http://www.turkishweekly.net/comments.php?id=2564
 | date = 2007-04-09
 | accessdate=2008-01-19| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080125044852/http://www.turkishweekly.net/comments.php?id=2564| archivedate= 25 January 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}
</ref>

==Ownership==
The pipeline is owned and operated by BTC Co, a consortium of 11&nbsp;energy companies.  The consortium is managed by [[BP]].  Shareholders are:

*[[BP]] (United Kingdom): 30.1%
*[[State Oil Company of Azerbaijan]] (SOCAR) ([[Azerbaijan]]): 25.00%
*[[Chevron Corporation|Chevron]] (United States): 8.90%
*[[Statoil]] (Norway): 8.71%
*[[Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı]] (TPAO) ([[Turkey]]): 6.53%
*[[Eni]] (Italy): 5.00%
*[[Total S.A.|Total]] (France): 5.0%
*[[Itochu]] (Japan): 3.4%
*[[Inpex]] (Japan): 2.50%
*[[ConocoPhillips]] (USA): 2.50%
*[[Hess Corporation]] (USA) 2.36%<ref name=bp3/>

On 7 September 2012, Hess announced sale of its stake to [[Oil and Natural Gas Corporation|ONGC]].<ref name=upstream070912>
{{cite news
 | url= http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article1265019.ece
 | title= Hess sells off ACG stake for $1bn
 | newspaper = [[Upstream (newspaper)|Upstream Online]]
 | publisher = [[NHST Media Group]]
 | first  = Luke | last = Johnson
 | date=2012-09-07
 | accessdate=2012-09-08
}}</ref>

==Archaeology==
Azerbaijani, Georgian, Turkish, British, and American archaeologists  began archaeological surveys 2000, sponsored by BP. Several cultural artifacts were uncovered during the construction, resulting in a coordinated research of the archaeological sites such as Dashbulaq, Hasansu, Zayamchai, and Tovuzchai in Azerbaijan; [[Prehistoric Georgia|Klde]], Orchosani, and Saphar-Kharaba in Georgia; and Güllüdere, Yüceören, and Ziyaretsuyu in Turkey.<ref>Taylor, Paul Michael, Christopher R. Polglase, Najaf Museyibli, Jared M. Koller, and Troy A. Johnson (2010), ''[http://agt.si.edu/ AGT - Ancient Heritage in the BTC-SCP Pipelines Corridor: Azerbaijan – Georgia – Turkey]''. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Accessed July 22, 2012.</ref>

==Controversial aspects==

===Politics===
Even before its completion, the pipeline was having an effect on the world's [[petroleum politics]]. The [[South Caucasus]], previously seen as Russia's backyard, is now a region of great strategic significance. The U.S. and other Western nations have become much more involved in the affairs of the three nations through which oil will flow.  The countries have been trying to use the involvement as a counterbalance to Russian and Iranian economic and military dominance in the region.<ref name=silkroad4/><ref name=silkroad5/>  Russian specialists claim that the pipeline will weaken the Russian influence in the Caucasus. The Russian Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee chairman {{Interlanguage link multi|Konstantin Kosachev|2=ru|3=Косачев, Константин Иосифович|preserve=1}} stated that the United States and other Western countries are planning to station soldiers in the Caucasus on the pretext of instability in regions through which the pipeline passes.<ref name=aia>
{{cite news
 | publisher= Axis Information and Analysis
 | author= Can Karpat
 | title = Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan: Pipeline of Friendship or War?
 | url= http://www.axisglobe.com/article.asp?article=380
 | date = 2005-09-15
 | accessdate=2007-12-30}}
</ref>

The project has been criticised due to bypassing and regional isolation of [[Armenia]],<ref>
{{cite web
 |last=Boland |first=Vincent
 |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/92c5e7f6-cd84-11d9-aa26-00000e2511c8.html#axzz24LMrU4NU
 |title=BTC pipeline the 'new Silk Road'
 |newspaper = [[Financial Times]]
 |date=2005-05-26
 |accessdate=2012-11-06}}
</ref><ref name="bradsherman.house.gov">
{{cite web
 |url=http://bradsherman.house.gov/2006/06/pr-060614a.html.shtml
 |title=Sherman Joins Amendment to Block Funds For Railroad Route Bypassing Armenia
 |publisher=Bradsherman.house.gov
 |date=2006-06-14 |accessdate=2012-11-06
 |deadurl=yes
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017134730/http://bradsherman.house.gov/2006/06/pr-060614a.html.shtml
 |archivedate=2012-10-17
 |df= dmy}}
</ref> as well as for [[human right]]s and safety concerns.<ref>
{{cite web
 |url=http://www.gnn.tv/articles/1512/The_Baku_Ceyhan_Pipeline_BP_s_Time_Bomb
 |title=The Baku Ceyhan Pipeline: BP's Time Bomb
 |publisher=Gnn.tv
 |accessdate=5 June 2010
 | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20081216115050/http://www.gnn.tv/articles/1512/The_Baku_Ceyhan_Pipeline_BP_s_Time_Bomb
 | archivedate = 2008-12-16
 | deadurl = yes}}
</ref> [[Ilham Aliev]], the president of [[Azerbaijan]], which is in conflict with Armenia, was cited as saying, "If we succeed with this project, the Armenians will end in complete isolation, which would create an additional problem for their future, their already bleak future".<ref name="bradsherman.house.gov"/>

The project also constitutes an important leg of the East–West energy corridor, gaining Turkey greater geopolitical importance. The pipeline supports Georgia's independence from Russian influence.  Former President Eduard Shevardnadze, one of the architects and initiators of the project, saw construction through Georgia as a guarantee for the country's future economic and political security and stability. President Mikhail Saakashvili shares this view. "All strategic contracts in Georgia, especially the contract for the Caspian pipeline are a matter of survival for the Georgian state," he told reporters on 26 November 2003.<ref name=stimes>
{{cite news
 | publisher= Seattle Times
 | title = Georgia's Saakashvili backs oil-pipeline plan
 | url= http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20031127&slug=georgia27
 | date = 2003-11-27
 | accessdate = 2008-08-12}}
</ref>

===Economics===
Although some have touted the pipeline as easing the dependence of the US and other Western nations on oil from the [[Middle East]], it supplies only 1% of global demand during its first stage.<ref name=dailymail>
{{cite news
 | publisher= Daily Mail Online
 | title= The Pipeline War: Russian bear goes for West's jugular
 | url= http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1043185/The-Pipeline-War-Russian-bear-goes-Wests-jugular.html
 | date= 2008-08-10
 | accessdate= 2008-08-24
 | location=London
 | first1=Svetlana
 | last1=Skarbo
 | first2=Jonathan
 | last2=Petre| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080824072411/http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1043185/The-Pipeline-War-Russian-bear-goes-Wests-jugular.html| archivedate= 24 August 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}
</ref>

The pipeline diversifies the global oil supply and so insures, to an extent, against a failure in supply elsewhere.  Critics of the pipeline—particularly Russia—are skeptical about its economic prospects.<ref name=rian>
{{cite news
 | publisher= RIA Novosti
 | title = Russia skeptical about Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline
 | url= http://en.rian.ru/business/20050602/40460669.html
 | date = 2005-06-02
 | accessdate=2007-12-30}}
</ref>

Construction of the pipeline has contributed to the economies of the host countries. In the first half of 2007, a year after the launch of the pipeline as the main export route for Azerbaijani oil, the real GDP growth of Azerbaijan hit a record of 35%.<ref name=imf>
{{cite web
 | publisher= [[International Monetary Fund]]
 | title = Republic of Azerbaijan — Concluding Statement of the IMF Mission
 | url= http://www.imf.org/external/np/ms/2007/092607.htm
 | date = 2007-09-06
 | accessdate=2007-12-30}}
</ref>  Substantial transit fees accrue to Georgia and Turkey. For Georgia, the transit fees are expected to produce an average of US$62.5 million per year.<ref name=silkroad5>
{{cite journal
 |publisher=The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Silk Road Studies Program 
 |author=Vladimer Papava 
 |title=The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Implications for Georgia 
 |url= http://www.silkroadstudies.org/component/jifile/download/MTc3NTAwNDI4NGJjMzMxODZiMmM1MmQxOGJiMGRlNjU=/btc-5-pdf.html
 |journal=The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Oil Window to the West 
 |pages=85–102 
 |format=PDF 
 |year=2005 
 |accessdate=2007-12-30 
 |deadurl= no
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227022145/http://www.silkroadstudies.org/BTC_5.pdf 
 |archivedate=2008-02-27 
 |df= dmy}}
</ref>  Turkey is expected to receive approximately US$200 million in transit fees per year in the initial years of operation, with the possibility that the fees increase to US$290 million per year from year 17 to year 40. Turkey also benefits from an increase of commerce in the port of Ceyhan and other parts of eastern Anatolia, the region which had experienced significant decrease in economic activities since the [[Gulf War]] in 1991.<ref name=silkroad3/>  The reduction of oil tanker traffic on the [[Bosphorus]] will contribute to greater security for Istanbul.<ref name=zaman>
{{cite news
 |publisher=Today's Zaman 
 |title=Loading of Azeri Crude Oil from BTC Pipeline Begins 
 |url=http://www.zaman.com/?bl=hotnews&alt=&trh=20060603&hn=33694 
 |date=2006-06-03 
 |accessdate=2007-03-01 
 |deadurl=yes 
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605052509/http://www.zaman.com/?bl=hotnews&alt=&trh=20060603&hn=33694 
 |archivedate=2011-06-05 
 |df= dmy}}
</ref>

To counter concerns that oil money would be siphoned off by corrupt officials, Azerbaijan set up a state oil fund (SOFAZ), mandated with using revenue from natural resources to benefit future generations, bolster support from key international lenders, and improve transparency and accountability. Azerbaijan became the first oil-producing country to join EITI, the British-led [[Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative]].<ref name=silkroad4/>

===Security===
Concerns have been addressed about the security of the pipeline.<ref name=guardian2>
{{cite news
 | publisher= The Guardian
 | author= Nick Paton Walsh
 | title = Russia accused of plot to sabotage Georgian oil pipeline
 | url= https://www.theguardian.com/international/story/0,3604,1096825,00.html
 | date = 2003-12-01
 | accessdate=2007-12-30
 | location=London| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20071228073659/http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1096825,00.html| archivedate= 28 December 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}
</ref><ref name=iags>
{{cite journal
 | publisher= Institute for the Analysis of Global Security
 | author= Gal Luft
 | title = Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline: not yet finished and already threatened
 | url= http://www.iags.org/n1104041.htm
 | date = 2004-11-04
 | accessdate=2007-12-30| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20071211231156/http://www.iags.org/n1104041.htm| archivedate= 11 December 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}
</ref>  It bypasses [[Armenia]], which has an unresolved conflict with Azerbaijan over the status of [[Nagorno-Karabakh conflict|Nagorno-Karabakh]], crosses through Georgia, which has two unresolved separatist conflicts, and goes through the edges of the [[Kurdish people|Kurdish]] region of Turkey, which has seen a prolonged and bitter conflict with Kurdish separatists.<ref name=guardian3/> It will require constant guarding to prevent sabotage, though the fact that almost all of the pipeline is buried will make it harder to attack.<ref name=silkroad4/> Georgia formed a special purpose battalion that would guard the pipeline while the US watched over the area with Unmanned Arial Vehicles (UAVs).

On 5 August 2008, a major explosion and fire in [[Refahiye]] (eastern Turkey [[Erzincan Province]]) closed the pipeline. The [[Kurdistan Workers Party]] (PKK) claimed responsibility.<ref name=apa>
{{cite news
 |publisher=APA 
 |title=PKK assumes responsibility for explosion of BTC 
 |url=http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=86325 
 |date=2008-08-06 
 |accessdate=2008-08-06 
 |deadurl=yes 
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721212651/http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=86325 
 |archivedate=2011-07-21 
 |df= dmy}}
</ref> The pipeline was restarted on 25 August 2008.<ref name=bloomberg082508>
{{cite news
 | publisher= Bloomberg
 | title = Oil Falls for a Second Day as BP Restarts Caspian Sea Pipeline
 | url= https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=amTrZ4bgfyFw&refer=home
 | date = 2008-08-25
 | accessdate=2008-08-25}}
</ref>

There is [[circumstantial evidence]] that it was instead a sophisticated [[cyber attack]] on the line's control and safety systems that led to increased pressure and an explosion. The attack might have been related to the [[Russo-Georgian War]], which started two days later.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-10/mysterious-08-turkey-pipeline-blast-opened-new-cyberwar.html | title=Mysterious ’08 Turkey Pipeline Blast Opened New Cyberwar Era | publisher=Bloomberg | date=2014-12-10 | accessdate=2014-12-15 | author=Jordan Robertson, Michael Riley}}</ref> However, the cyber attack theory has been largely criticized due to a lack of evidence, and was publicly debunked by ICS cyber security expert Robert M. Lee.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ics.sans.org/blog/2015/06/19/closing-the-case-on-the-reported-2008-russian-cyber-attack-on-the-btc-pipeline | title=Closing the Case on the Reported 2008 Russian Cyber Attack on the BTC Pipeline | publisher=SANS | date=2015-06-19 | accessdate =2016-09-05 | author= Robert M. Lee}}</ref>

In September 2015, unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh’s defense minister, Levon Mnatsakanyan, was cited as saying: "This is a very serious financial resource for Azerbaijan and we need to deprive them of these means".<ref>{{cite news|title=Frozen War Thaws in Russian Backyard as Karabakh Flares |url= https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-22/frozen-war-thaws-in-russian-backyard-as-nagorno-karabakh-flares| publisher=[[Bloomberg News|Bloomberg]]|date=October 23, 2015}}</ref>

===Environment===
Critics of the pipeline have pointed out it should be properly [[Earthquake engineering|earthquake engineered]] because it travels through three [[active fault]]s in Azerbaijan, four in Georgia and seven in Turkey. Environmental activists fiercely opposed the crossing of the [[drainage basin|watershed]] of the [[Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park]] in Georgia, an area known for [[Borjomi (water)|mineral water]] springs and natural beauty, although the pipeline itself does not enter the park.<ref name=guardian>
{{cite news
 | publisher= The Guardian
 | author= Michael Meacher
 | title = Casualties of the oil stampede
 | url= https://www.theguardian.com/comment/story/0,3604,1506665,00.html
 | date = 2005-06-15
 | accessdate=2007-12-30
 | location=London| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20071203185116/http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1506665,00.html| archivedate= 3 December 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}
</ref> The construction of the pipeline left a highly visible scar across the landscape. The Oxford-based "Baku Ceyhan Campaign" stated that "public money should not be used to subsidize social and environmental problems, purely in the interests of the private sector, but must be conditional on a positive contribution to the economic and social development of people in the region."<ref>
{{cite web
 |url=http://www.bakuceyhan.org.uk/about.htm 
 |title=About the Baku Ceyhan Campaign 
 |accessdate=2008-10-23 
 |deadurl=yes 
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211205227/http://www.bakuceyhan.org.uk:80/about.htm 
 |archivedate=2008-12-11 
 |df= dmy}}
</ref>  As [[Borjomi (water)|Borjomi mineral water]] is a major export commodity of Georgia, any [[oil spill]]s there would have a catastrophic effect on the economy.

The field joint coating of the pipeline has been controversial over the claim that SPC 2888, the sealant used, was not properly tested.<ref name=time>
{{cite news
 | publisher= Times Online
 | author= Michael Gillard; David Connett
 | title = BP 'covered up' pipeline flaw
 | url= http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article381934.ece
 | date = 2005-04-17
 | accessdate=2007-12-29
 | location=London}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web
 | url = http://www.bakuceyhan.org.uk/fullstory.htm
 | publisher = Baku Ceyhan Campaign
 | title = The full story: Pipeline corrosion threat covered up by BP
 | accessdate = 2008-10-28
| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20081212001022/http://www.bakuceyhan.org.uk/fullstory.htm| archivedate= 12 December 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web
 | url = http://www.bakuceyhan.org.uk/coatings.htm
 | publisher = Baku Ceyhan Campaign
 | title = What's the problem? Field joint coatings - The basics
 | accessdate = 2008-10-28
| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20081212032342/http://www.bakuceyhan.org.uk/coatings.htm| archivedate= 12 December 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>  BP and its contractors interrupted work until the problem was eliminated.<ref name=silkroad3>
{{cite journal
 |publisher=The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Silk Road Studies Program 
 |author=Jonathan Elkind 
 |title=Economic Implications of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline 
 |url= http://www.silkroadstudies.org/component/jifile/download/MTc3NTAwNDI4NGJjMzMxODZiMmM1MmQxOGJiMGRlNjU=/btc-3-pdf.html
 |journal=The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Oil Window to the West 
 |pages=39–60 
 |format=PDF 
 |year=2005 
 |accessdate=2007-12-30 
 |deadurl= no
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227022112/http://www.silkroadstudies.org/BTC_3.pdf 
 |archivedate=2008-02-27 
 |df= dmy}}
</ref>

The pipeline eliminates 350&nbsp;tanker cargoes per year through the sensitive congested [[Bosphorus]] and [[Dardanelles]].<ref name=dn>
{{cite news
 | newspaper = [[Hürriyet Daily News]]
 | title = BTC pipeline a welcome relief for Turkish straits
 | url = http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/btc-pipeline-a-welcome-relief-for-turkish-straits.aspx?pageID=438&n=btc-pipeline-a-welcome-relief-for-turkish-straits-2006-07-10
 | date = 2006-07-10 
 | accessdate = 2016-10-24 
}}</ref>

===Human rights===
[[Human rights]] activists criticized Western governments for the pipeline, due to reported human and [[civil rights]] abuses by the [[Aliyev]] regime in Azerbaijan.<ref name=hrw>
{{cite web
| publisher= Human Right Watch
 | title = Human Rights Overview - Azerbaijan
 | url= http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/01/18/azerba12226.htm
 | accessdate=2007-12-30}}
</ref>  A [[Czech Republic|Czech]] documentary film ''[[Zdroj]]'' (''Source'') underscores these human rights abuses, such as [[eminent domain]] violations in appropriating land for the pipeline's route, and criticism of the government leading to arrest.<ref name=variety>
{{cite news
 | publisher= Variety
 | author= Eddie Cockrell
 | title = Source. A review
 | url= http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117927708.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0
 | date = 2005-07-18
 | accessdate=2007-12-29| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20071203161724/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117927708.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0| archivedate= 3 December 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}
</ref>

==In fiction==
The pipeline was a central plot point in the [[James Bond]] film ''[[The World Is Not Enough]]'' (1999). One of the central characters, [[Elektra King]], is responsible for the construction of an oil pipeline through the Caucasus, from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Named the "King pipeline" in the film, it is a thinly disguised version of the BTC.<ref name=guardian3>
The pipeline also gets a mention in "Aggressor", a novel by Andy Mcnab.
{{cite news
 | publisher= The Guardian
 | author= Mark Tran
 | title = Q&A: The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline
 | url= https://www.theguardian.com/business/2005/may/26/businessqandas.oilandpetrol
 | date = 2005-05-26
 | accessdate=2007-12-30
 | location=London| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080209154103/http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2005/may/26/businessqandas.oilandpetrol| archivedate= 9 February 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}
</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Azerbaijan|Turkey|Georgia (country)|Energy}}
{{wikinews|First pipeline opens from Caspian Sea|First pipeline opens from Caspian Sea}}
*[[Baku–Novorossiysk pipeline]]
*[[Baku–Supsa Pipeline]]
*[[Dutch disease]]
*[[Economy of Azerbaijan]]
*[[Foreign relations of Azerbaijan]]
*[[Foreign relations of Georgia]]
*[[Foreign relations of Turkey]]
*[[Geostrategy in Central Asia]]
*[[Nabucco pipeline]]
*[[Energy in Georgia (country)]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}
‘ The Encyclopaedia of the successful land acquisition processes of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and South Caucasus Pipelines projects in Azerbaijan’.

==References==
*{{cite book | publisher= l’Harmattan | author = Turab Gurbanov | title = Le pétrole de la Caspienne et la politique extérieure de l'Azerbaïdjan : tome 1- Questions économiques et juridiques | page=304 | isbn=978-2-296-04019-9 |  year=2007}}
*{{cite book | publisher= l’Harmattan | author = Turab Gurbanov | title = Le pétrole de la Caspienne et la politique extérieure de l'Azerbaïdjan : tome 2- Questions géopolitiques | page=297 | isbn=978-2-296-04020-5 |  year=2007}}
*{{cite book | publisher= The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Silk Road Studies Program | author = S. Frederick Starr, Svante E. Cornell | title = The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Oil Window to the West | url= http://www.silkroadstudies.org/new/inside/publications/BTC.pdf | page=150 | format=PDF | isbn=91-85031-06-2 |  year=2005 | accessdate=2007-12-30}}

==External links==
*[http://www.rsdpinfo.com/btc-scp Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan / South Caucasus pipelines environmental and community investments website]
*[http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9006669&contentId=7015093 Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline (BP website)]
*[http://www.ifc.org/btc BTC project (IFC website)]
*[http://www.ebrd.com/projects/psd/psd2003/18806.htm BTC project (EBRD website)]
*[http://www.hydrocarbons-technology.com/projects/bp/ Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) Caspian Pipeline], ''HydrocarbonsTechnology.com''
*{{cite web | publisher= The Washington Institute for Near East Policy | author=Soner Cagaptay, Nazli Gencsoy | title = Startup of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Turkey's Energy Role. Policy Watch #998 | url= http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2319 | date=2005-05-27 | accessdate=2007-12-30| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080206001101/http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2319| archivedate= 6 February 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}
* [http://www.ingenia.org.uk/ingenia/articles.aspx?Index=491 Engineering the BTC Pipeline], the former head of BP, [[John Browne, Baron Browne of Madingley|Lord Browne]] [[FREng]], reflects on the engineering challenges of constructing the BTC pipeline, ''Ingenia'' magazine, June 2008
*[http://dx.doi.org/10.11141/ia.29.1 P.M. Taylor and D. Maynard 2011 'Archaeological Excavations on the BTC Pipeline, Azerbaijan', Internet Archaeology 29.]
*[http://www.ensec.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=212:applying-advanced-technology-for-threat-assessment-a-case-study-of-the-btc-pipeline&catid=98:issuecontent0809&Itemid=349 Applying Advanced Technology for Threat Assessment: A Case Study of the BTC Pipeline]
{{coord missing|Azerbaijan}}

{{Fifty civil engineering feats in Turkey}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline}}
[[Category:Azerbaijan–Georgia (country) relations]]
[[Category:Azerbaijan–Turkey relations]]
[[Category:Baku]]
[[Category:Caspian Sea]]
[[Category:Caucasus]]
[[Category:BP buildings and structures]]
[[Category:Ceyhan]]
[[Category:Chevron Corporation]]
[[Category:ConocoPhillips]]
[[Category:Economy of Tbilisi]]
[[Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 2006]]
[[Category:Georgia (country)–Turkey relations]]
[[Category:Oil pipelines in Azerbaijan]]
[[Category:Oil pipelines in Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:Oil pipelines in Turkey]]
[[Category:Submarine pipelines]]