Azeri BTC oil loads at Ceyhan resumed after contamination scare

Azeri BTC crude oils loadings from Turkish port of Ceyhan resumed Wednesday after an increase in checks due to contamination issues had delayed loadings for the past few days, according to several industry sources.

A port agent confirmed that the Aframax tanker Searanger was loaded on one of the berths of the BTC Ceyhan Terminal Wednesday morning, after it was determined that the tank storage had been cleaned of contaminants.

Port documents show that Searanger arrived in Ceyhan, Turkey on July 19. Another tanker, scheduled to load yesterday, was still at anchor, waiting for clearance.

A trade source who is familiar with the situation said that each cargo was tested prior to loading. This came after the loadings of some Azeri BTC were delayed due to the presence of excessive organic chlorides.

The industry uses organic chlorides to increase oil extraction by cleaning oilwells and speeding up the flow of crude oil. However, the compounds need to be removed from pipelines before the oil can enter.

It was not immediately apparent the extent of the problem. In 2019, a widespread contamination led to a disruption of Russian crude oil exports.

Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan is the first direct pipeline route between the Caspian Sea, and the Mediterranean.

It transports crude oil from Turkmenistan, Turkmenistan, Turkmenistan, Turkmenistan, and the Russian Caspian Sea.

According to a source in Kazakhstan, the loading of BTC oil from Tengiz oilfields owned by Chevron continues.

Azerbaijan's oil output has been declining for several years after the Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gunashli (ACG) complex passed its peak of 50 million metric tons, or one million barrels per day, in 2010. The ACG oilfield is the largest in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Basin.

(source: Reuters)