The situation in the port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean coast of Turkiye, where the shipment of tankers carrying Azerbaijani oil that is supplied via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline (BTC), has been suspended due to the strong earthquake on February 6, is considered a force majeure, the head of the press service of bp-Azerbaijan, Tamam Bayatly, told Report.
According to her, a related notice has been sent to market participants and consignors since yesterday.
As Report previously informed, the oil supply from Ceyhan, where the terminal for the export of Azerbaijani oil is located, was suspended by BOTAS International Limited (BIL), the operator of the Turkish section of the BTC and the terminal in Ceyhan. The decision was taken due to the detection of oil in one of the installations where oil was spilt as a result of a strong earthquake in this region of Turkiye.
“After detecting the damage and leakage, the company immediately stopped all operations, and the damaged part was sealed and securely closed. However, all tanker loading operations have been suspended. An investigation is underway to determine whether the work of the pier will be restored,” the head of the press service added.
According to her, the operator is assessing the situation and should inform bp and partners about the possibility of oil supply from Ceyhan via tankers.
The bp official said that the company continues to transport oil from the Sangachal terminal through the BTC pipeline. Oil is delivered to Ceyhan and pumped in storage tanks.
The port of Ceyhan has 7 oil storage tanks, each with a capacity of 1 million barrels. According to Bayatli, there are opportunities for oil storage, so BTC resumes oil transportation.