Trans-Caspian Oil Transport System

The Trans-Caspian Oil Transport System is a proposed project to transport oil through the Caspian Sea from Kazakhstani Caspian oilfields to Baku in Azerbaijan for the further transportation to the Mediterranean or Black Sea coast. The main options under consideration are an offshore oil pipeline from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan, and construction of oil terminals and oil tankers fleet.<ref name=guliyev> Template:Cite paper </ref><ref name=ihs090606> Template:Cite news </ref><ref name=edm150505> Template:Cite news </ref><ref name=edm200606/> A strong push for the project has been from the partners of the Kashagan oilfield project and in particular Total who has a share in both the field and the BTC pipeline. They have estimated that such a project would cost roughly US$4 billion. The project also faces opposition from Iran and Russia, both alternative avenues for Kazakhstan's oil and gas who would likely object to competing pipelines being built.<ref name=ihs090606/>

History

In 2005, the Government of Kazakhstan adopted plans for creation of a trans-Caspian westbound route for oil export.<ref name=edm150505/> On 19 June 2006, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a framework agreement on the trans-Caspian oil transport system.<ref name=edm200606> Template:Cite news </ref> On 24 January 2007, partners in TengizChevroil (developer of Tengiz field) and KCO (Kashagan field developer)signed a memorandum of understanding to create a trans-Caspian oil transport system.<ref name=edm240107> Template:Cite news </ref> On 2 October 2009, the national oil company of Kazakhstan Kazmunaygas and the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic signed a memorandum of understanding to expand the Caspian Oil Transport System to include Azeri infrastructure and onshore pipelines from Baku to Kulevi oil terminal in Georgia.<ref name=ihs051009> Template:Cite news </ref><ref name=trend021009> Template:Cite news </ref>

On 6 October 2009, an agreement on the oil pipeline from Kashagan to Baku was signed by consortium of French companies during the French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to Kazakhstan.<ref name=ogj290109/>

Oil pipeline

A Template:Convert long oil pipeline will run from Kashagan field or Kuryk to Baku.<ref name=edm150505/><ref name=ogj290109> Template:Cite news </ref> Work for the pipeline is still in the feasibility stage according to an official from the oil company Total.

Shuttle tankers system

The shuttle tankers system envisages an usage of oil tankers to transport oil from Kuryk terminal in Kazakhstan to Sangachal Terminal in Azerbaijan.<ref name=edm240107/> The capacity of this system would be Template:Convert in the initial stage, rising later up to Template:Convert.<ref name=ihs051009/>

See also

• Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea
• Kulevi oil terminal
• Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline

External links

• The Globalization of Energy Resources: Tapping Caspian Oil and Gas. Lecture presented by Jonathan Elkind, Independent energy, environment and security consultant and former Director for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian Affairs, National Security Council (1998-2001). October 19, 2006. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.