Baku-Novorossiysk Pipeline

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The Baku-Novorossiysk Pipeline (also known as the Northern Route Export Pipeline and Early Oil Northern Route) is an 830 kilometres (520 mi) long oil pipeline, which runs from the Sangachal Terminal near Baku to the Novorossiysk terminal at the Black Sea coast in Russia. The Azerbaijani section of the pipeline is operated by the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) and the Russian section is operated by Transneft.^[1]

1 History
2 Route
3 Technical features
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

A contract on the transportation of Azeri oil via Russia to the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk was signed on 18 February 1996. The trilateral contract was concluded between the Azerbaijan International Operating Company, SOCAR and Transneft. The oil transportation through the pipeline started on 25 October 1997.^[2]

On 6 December 2006, after dispute over natural gas supplies from Russia, Azerbaijan announced that it will stop the exports of Azeri oil through the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline starting on 1 January 2007.^[3] Although SOCAR continued decreased oil supplies through the Baku-Novorossiysk Pipeline, the Azerbaijan International Operating Company stopped using the pipeline starting from 1 April 2007. ^[4] SOCAR stopped oil supplies through the pipeline starting from February 2008.^[1]

[edit] Route

The Baku-Novorossiysk Pipeline extends to 1,330 kilometres (830 mi), of which 231 kilometres (144 mi) is layd in Azerbaijan.^[2] In Russia the pipeline runs trough Dagestan and Chechnya.