Tankers to Resume Loadings From BTC

Tankers will begin loading oil tomorrow from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline for the first time since a fire affected the main outlet for Azeri crude to and European markets almost three weeks ago, Bloomberg reported.

The loadings follows repairs and testing after the pipe was closed on Aug. 5 when an explosion sparked a blaze on the 1,100-mile pipeline. The BTC carries as much as 1 million barrels of Azeri crude each day through to 's Mediterranean coast.

The first tanker will take up to 15 hours to fill, depending on its size, Lecompte said in a phone interview. An average of two tankers are loaded daily when oil flows at normal levels.

Source:  Bloomberg