The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) is beginning the transit of crude oil from Kazakhstan's Kashagan field through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline.

According to SOCAR, the first batch of Kashagan oil, loaded onto a tanker at Aktau port on January 25, amounts to approximately 6,000 tons.

The oil, arriving at the Sangachal terminal on January 27, will be transported to Ceyhan port via BTC. The first batch is being carried by the Taraz tanker, operated by Kazakhstan's KazMorTransFlot company. This became possible after the signing of an agreement on January 15, 2025, between SOCAR's subsidiary SOCAR Midstream Operations LLC and KazMunayGaz's (KMG) subsidiary KMG Trading for the transit of 240,000 tons of Kashagan oil annually.

In March 2024, SOCAR and KMG signed an agreement on gradually increasing oil transit through Azerbaijan's territory. The document envisions increasing supply volumes to up to 2.2 million tons annually.

An agreement signed between SOCAR and KMG in November 2022 provides for the transit of 1.5 million tons of Tengiz field oil annually. In February 2024, an agreement was signed on gradually increasing the volume of Kazakh oil transit through Azerbaijan's territory.

The commencement of Kashagan oil transportation via BTC is not only a manifestation of friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan but also serves to strengthen cooperation between the countries.