SOCAR Black Sea terminal starts first oil transhipment

SOCAR's (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan) Black Sea oil terminal in Georgia (Kulevi) has started shipping Kazakh oil from the Tengiz field.

According to the spokesperson for the terminal, "Trans-shipment of Tengiz oil has already started and by the end of the year it is planned to ship at least two million tons." Oil is supplied to the terminal by rail.

According to the source, the terminal started shipping oil for the first time since beginning operations and as a result freight turnover has increased almost threefold. This will not only be profitable for the company but also the local economy – there will be additional jobs and an increase in payments to the budget, making in turn a significant contribution to the economic development of the country.

According to the Georgian Government, in 2009 the Kulevi oil terminal shipped 2.1 million tons compared to 1.3 million tons in 2008. In 2009, there were 99 ships involved compared to 65 in 2008. The total capacity of the tank farm is 320,000 cubic meters; the capacity of the berths is 8000-12000 cubic meters per hour.