Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline 397567 225788439 2008-07-15T12:07:51Z SmackBot 433328 Date the maintenance tags or general fixes {{Copyedit|date=August 2007}} The '''Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline''' (sometimes abbreviated as '''BTC pipeline''') is a [[petroleum|crude oil]] pipeline that covers {{convert|1768|km|mi|0}} from the [[Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli]] [[oil field]] in the [[Caspian Sea]] to the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. It connects [[Baku]], the capital of [[Azerbaijan]]; [[Tbilisi]], the capital of [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]; and [[Ceyhan]], a port on the south-eastern Mediterranean coast of [[Turkey]], hence its name. It is the second longest [[Pipeline transport|oil pipeline]] in the world after the [[Druzhba pipeline]]. The first oil that was pumped from the Baku end of the pipeline on [[May 10]] [[2005]] reached [[Ceyhan]] on [[May 28]] [[2006]].<ref name=bp/> [[Image:Btc pipeline route.png|right|frame|Route of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline]] ==History== ===Planning=== The [[Caspian Sea]] lies above one of the world's largest groups of oil and gas fields. As the [[Caspian Sea]] is landlocked, the transportation of oil to Western markets is complicated. During Soviet times, all transportation routes from the Caspian region were built through Russia. The collapse of the Soviet Union started a search for new routes. Russia first insisted that the new pipeline should pass through Russian territory, then declined to participate.<ref name=kommersant/><ref name=pravda>{{cite web | publisher= Pravda | title = Moscow Negative About Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline | url= http://english.pravda.ru/main/18/89/357/11772_pipeline.html | date=[[2004-01-13]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> A pipeline across [[Iran]] from the Caspian Sea to the [[Persian Gulf]] would have provided the shortest route, but Iran was considered an undesirable partner for a number of reasons: its [[theocracy|theocratic]] government, concerns about its [[Iran's nuclear program|nuclear program]], and [[United States]] sanctions that greatly restrict Western investment (especially by American companies) in the country. The United States government opposed any route that would pass through [[Iran]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Warnock |first=John W.|title=Why Are Canadians Dying in Afghanistan? For Oil|url= http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=3891 |accessdate=2008-02-07}}</ref>. At the time, Turkey called for energy transit through Turkey, insisting that this would be the safest and most economic route for export. In the spring of 1992, the Turkish Prime Minister [[Süleyman Demirel]] made this proposal to Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan. The first document on the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline was signed between Azerbaijan and Turkey on 9 March 1993 in [[Ankara]].<ref name=dailynews2>{{cite web | publisher= Turkish Daily News | title = Timeline of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline | url= http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=48692&contact=1 | date=[[2006-07-13]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> The choice of a Turkish route meant oil export from Azerbaijan via either Georgia or [[Armenia]]. For several reasons a route through Armenia was politically inconvenient, due to regional tensions over Turkey's refusal to recognize the [[Armenian Genocide]]<ref name=turkishweekly>{{cite web | publisher= Turkish Weekly | title = Armenia: A Neighbor from Hell? | url= http://www.turkishweekly.net/editorial.php?id=20 | date=[[2005-10-24]] | accessdate=2008-07-15}}</ref> <ref name=eurasianet>{{cite web | publisher= Eurasianet | title = Turkey Seeks to Carve Out Conflict Resolution Role in the Caucasus | url= http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav011404.shtml | date=[[2004-01-14]] | accessdate=2008-07-15}}</ref>, as well as the unresolved military conflict between [[Armenia]] and [[Azerbaijan]] over [[Nagorno-Karabakh]].<ref name=silkroad6/> This left the circuitous Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey route as politically most expedient for the major parties, although it was longer and more expensive to build than the other options. The BTC pipeline project gained momentum following the Ankara Declaration, adopted on [[29 October]] [[1998]] by [[President of Azerbaijan]] [[Heydar Aliyev]], [[President of Georgia]] [[Eduard Shevardnadze]], [[list of Presidents of Kazakhstan|President of Kazakhstan]] [[Nursultan Nazarbayev]], [[President of Turkey]] [[Süleyman Demirel]], and [[President of Uzbekistan]] [[Islom Karimov]]. The declaration was witnessed by the [[United States Secretary of Energy]] [[Bill Richardson]], who expressed strong support for the BTC pipeline. The intergovernmental agreement in support of the BTC pipeline was signed by Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey on [[18 November]] [[1999]], during a meeting of the [[Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe]] (OSCE) in [[Istanbul]], Turkey.<ref name=silkroad6>{{cite journal | publisher= The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Silk Road Studies Program | author= Zeyno Baran | title = The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Implications for Turkey | url= http://www.silkroadstudies.org/BTC_6.pdf | journal= The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Oil Window to the West | pages=103–118| format=PDF | date=[[2005]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> ===Construction=== The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Company (BTC Co.) was founded during a document signing ceremony in London on [[1 August]] [[2002]].<ref name=alex1>{{cite web | publisher= Alexander's Gas & Oil Connections | title = Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Company founded | url=http://www.gasandoil.com/goc/company/cnc23849.htm | date = [[2002-08-30]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> The official ceremony launching construction of the pipeline was held on [[18 September]] [[2002]].<ref name=bbc1>{{cite web | publisher= BBC News | title = Caspian pipeline dream becomes reality | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2263611.stm | date = [[2002-09-17]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> Construction began in April 2003 and was completed in 2005. The Azerbaijan section was constructed by [[Consolidated Contractors Company|Consolidated Contractors International]] of Greece, and Georgia's section was constructed by a joint venture of France’s [[AMEC|Spie Capag]] and US Petrofac Petrofac International. The Turkish section was constructed by [[BOTAŞ]]. [[Bechtel]] was the main contractor for engineering, procurement and construction.<ref name=alex1/> ===Inauguration=== All together, three official inauguration ceremonies were held. On [[25 May]] [[2005]], the pipeline was officially inaugurated at the [[Sangachal Terminal]] by President [[Ilham Aliyev]] of the Azerbaijan Republic, President [[Mikhail Saakashvili]] of Georgia and President [[Ahmet Sezer]] of Turkey, joined by President [[Nursaltan Nazarbayev]] of Kazakhstan, as well as [[United States Secretary of Energy]] [[Samuel Bodman]].<ref name=bbc2>{{cite web | publisher= BBC News | title = Giant Caspian oil pipeline opens | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4577497.stm | date = [[2005-05-25]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> The inauguration of the Georgian section of the pipeline was hosted by President Mikheil Saakashvili at the BTC pumping station near [[Gardabani]] on [[12 October]] [[2005]].<ref name=rferl>{{cite web | publisher= RFERL | title = Georgia: Regional Leaders Inaugurate Oil Pipeline Amid Environmental Concerns | author=Jean-Christophe Peuch | url= http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/e5ce7b6a-4d3c-4bb1-af9b-74bdc62c6e83.html | date = [[2005-10-12]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> The inauguration ceremony at the Ceyhan terminal was held on [[13 July]] [[2006]].<ref name=bp3>{{cite web | publisher= [[PB]] | title = BTC Celebrates Full Commissioning. Press Release | url= http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9006615&contentId=7020655 | date = [[2006-07-13]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> Oil that was pumped from the Baku end of the pipeline on [[May 10]] [[2005]] reached [[Ceyhan]] in [[May 28]] [[2006]] after a journey of 1,770 km.<ref name=bp>{{cite web | publisher= [[BP]] | title = Operations of the BTC pipeline | url= http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9006669&contentId=7014361 | accessdate=2007-03-01}}</ref> The first oil was loaded at the Cheyhan Marine Terminal (Haydar Aliyev Terminal) onto a ship named ''British Hawthorn''.<ref name=turkishweekly>{{cite web | publisher= Turkish Weekly | title = Caspian Oil Reaches Turkey's Mediterranean Port Ceyhan | url= http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=32563 | date = [[2006-05-29]] | accessdate=2007-03-01}}</ref> The tanker sailed away from the port on [[4 June]] [[2006]] with about 600,000 barrels of crude oil. This marked the start of export of [[Azerbaijan]]’s oil via the BTC oil [[Pipeline transport|pipeline]] to world markets. ==Description of the pipeline== ===Route=== The pipeline starts from the [[Sangachal Terminal]] near Baku in Azerbaijan. The route of the pipeline crosses Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey to Ceyhan. The pipeline's destination is the Ceyhan Marine Terminal (Haydar Aliyev Terminal) on the south-eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Of its total length of {{convert|1768|km|mi|0}}, {{convert|443|km|mi|0}} lie in Azerbaijan, {{convert|249|km|mi|0}} in Georgia and {{convert|1076|km|mi|0}} in Turkey. It crosses several mountain ranges at altitudes to {{convert|2830|m|ft|-2}}.<ref name=bp2/> It also traverses 3,000 roads, railways, and utility lines—both overground and underground—as well as 1,500 watercourses of up to {{convert|500|m|ft|-2}} wide (in the case of the [[Ceyhan River]] in Turkey).<ref name=bp/> The pipeline occupies a corridor eight meters wide, and is buried along its entire length at a depth of no less than one meter.<ref name=silkroad4>{{cite journal | publisher= The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Silk Road Studies Program | author= Svante E. Cornell, Fariz Ismailzade | title = The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Implications for Azerbaijan | url= http://www.silkroadstudies.org/BTC_4.pdf | journal= The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Oil Window to the West | pages=61–84| format=PDF | date=[[2005]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> Parallel to the BTC pipeline runs the [[South Caucasus Pipeline|South Caucasus Gas Pipeline]], which transports natural gas from the [[Sangachal Terminal]] to [[Erzurum]] in Turkey.<ref name=bp2/> Between [[Sarız]] and Ceyhan, the [[Samsun-Ceyhan Pipeline|Samsun-Ceyhan oil pipeline]] will be laid along the same corridor.<ref name=iea>{{cite web | publisher= [[International Energy Agency]] |url= http://www.iea.org/Textbase/work/2006/energy_security/Cavanna.pdf| title = Trans Anatolian Pipeline Project | format = PDF| date = [[October 2006]] | accessdate=2007-04-26}}</ref> ===Technical features=== The pipeline has a projected lifespan of 40 years, and when working at normal capacity, beginning in 2009, will transport 1 million barrels (160&nbsp;000&nbsp;m³) of oil per day. It has a capacity of 10 million barrels of oil, which will flow through the pipeline at {{convert|2|m|ft|1}} per second.<ref name=bp/> There are 8 pump stations through the pipeline route (2 in Azerbaijan, 2 in Georgia, 4 in Turkey). The project includes also the Ceyhan Marine Terminal, two intermediate [[pigging]] stations, one pressure reduction station, and 101 small block valves.<ref name=bp2>{{cite web | publisher= [[BP]] | title = Overview of the BTC pipeline | url= http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9006669&contentId=7014358 | accessdate=2007-12-29}}</ref> It was constructed from 150,000 individual joints of line pipe, each measuring {{convert|12|m|ft|0}} in length. This corresponds to a total weight of approximately 655,000 [[short ton]]s (594,000 [[metric ton]]s). The pipeline is 1,070 mm (42 inches) diameter for most of its length, narrowing to 865 mm (34 inches) diameter as it nears Ceyhan.<ref name=dillinger>{{cite web | publisher= Dillinger Hütte GTS | title = Dillinger plates for the BTC pipeline, the world's longest oil export pipeline | url= http://www.dillinger.de/dh/referenzen/linepipe/01611/index.shtml.en | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> ===Cost and financing=== The pipeline cost US$3.9 billion.<ref name=upstream2006>{{cite news | url=http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article108550.ece| title=BTC costs hit $3.9bn | publisher=Upstream Online | date=[[2006-04-19]] |accessdate=2008-03-07}}</ref> Around 15,000 people were employed during the construction of the pipeline. Approximately 70% of BTC costs are being funded by third parties, including the [[World Bank]]'s [[International Finance Corporation]], the [[European Bank for Reconstruction and Development]], export credit agencies of seven countries and a syndicate of 15 commercial banks.<ref name=bp2/> ===Source of supply=== The BTC pipeline is supplied by oil from Azerbaijan's [[Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli]] [[oil field]] in the [[Caspian Sea]] via the [[Sangachal Terminal]]. This pipeline may also transport oil from the Kazakhstan's [[Kashagan Field|Kashagan oil field]] as well as from other oil fields in [[Central Asia]].<ref name=kommersant>{{cite web | publisher= Kommersant | title = Revolutions in the Pipeline | url= http://www.kommersant.com/page.asp?id=580345 | date=[[2005-05-25]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> The government of Kazakhstan had announced that it would seek to build a [[Trans-Caspian Oil Pipeline|trans-Caspian oil pipeline]] from the Kazakhstani port of [[Aktau]] to Baku and in turn to the BTC pipeline. However, due to opposition to a Caspian offshore pipeline by both [[Russia]] and [[Iran]], the oil pipeline is doubtful. Therefore Kazakhstan has announced a new project named Kazakh-Caspian Transportation System, which is scheduled to come into operation in 2010. The project includes a pipeline from [[Iskene]] to the Caspian port of [[Kuryk]], terminals in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, and construction of oil tankers.<ref name=kogiguk>{{cite web | publisher= KOGIG UK | title = Kazakhstan Trans-Caspian Oil Transportation System | url= http://www.kogiguk.com/News/Archive/2006/Dec/Article2932.htm | accessdate=2007-12-29}}</ref> The project is at the pre-feasibility stage. ===Possible transhipment via Israel=== It has been proposed that oil from the BTC pipeline may be transported to eastern [[Asia]] via the [[Israel]]i oil terminals at [[Ashkelon]] and [[Eilat]], the overland trans-Israel sector being bridged by the [[Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline]] owned by the [[Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company]] (EAPC).<ref name=haaretz>{{cite web | publisher= Haaretz.com | title = Israel proposes crude pipeline from Georgia to Eastern Asia | author=Avi Bar-Eli | url= http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/945484.html | date = [[2008-01-17]] | accessdate=2008-01-19}}</ref><ref name=tw3>{{cite web | publisher= Turklish Weekly | title = Israeli Pipeline: Ashelon-Eilat-The Second Breath | author=Rovshan Ibrahimov | url= http://www.turkishweekly.net/comments.php?id=2564 | date = [[2007-04-09]] | accessdate=2008-01-19}}</ref> ==Shareholders of the pipeline== The pipeline is owned by a consortium of energy companies led by [[BP]] (formerly British Petroleum), the operator of the pipeline. The shareholders of the consortium are: *[[BP]] ([[United Kingdom]]): 30.1% *[[State Oil Company of Azerbaijan]] (SOCAR) ([[Azerbaijan]]): 25.00% *[[Chevron Corporation|Chevron]] ([[USA]]): 8.90% *[[StatoilHydro]] ([[Norway]]): 8.71% *[[Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı]] (TPAO) ([[Turkey]]): 6.53% *[[Eni]]/[[Agip]] ([[Italy]]): 5.00% *[[Total S.A.|Total]] ([[France]]): 5.0% *[[Itochu]] ([[Japan]]): 3.4% *[[Inpex]] (Japan): 2.50% *[[ConocoPhillips]] (USA): 2.50% *[[Hess Corporation]] (USA) 2.36%<ref name=bp3/> ==Controversial aspects== ===Politics=== Even before its completion, the BTC pipeline was affecting the world's [[petroleum politics|oil politics]]. The South Caucasus, previously seen as Russia's backyard, is now a region of great strategic significance to other great powers. The U.S. and other Western nations have consequently become much more closely involved in the affairs of the three nations through which oil will flow. Some have criticized this degree of western involvement in the South Caucasus, arguing that it has led to an unhealthy dependence on undemocratic leaders.{{Fact|date=December 2007}} The countries themselves though have been trying to use the involvement as a counterbalance to Russian and Iranian economic and military dominance in the region.<ref name=silkroad4/><ref name=silkroad5/> It is seen similarly by Russian specialists claiming that the pipeline is aimed to weaken the Russian influence in Caucasus. The Russian Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee chairman [[Konstantin Kosachev]] even stated that the United States and other Western countries are planning to settle their soldiers in Caucasus on the pretext of instability in regions where the pipeline passes through.<ref name=aia>{{cite web | publisher= Axis Information and Analysis | author= Can Karpat | title = Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan: Pipeline of Friendship or War? | url= http://www.axisglobe.com/article.asp?article=380 | date = [[2005-09-15]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> The project also constitutes an important leg of the East-West energy corridor, gaining [[Turkey]] greater geopolitical importance. The BTC pipeline also supports Georgia's independence from Russian influence. Former President [[Eduard Shevardnadze]], one of the architects and initiators of the project, saw the construction of the pipeline through Georgian territory as a certain guarantee for the country's future economic and political security and stability. This view has been fully shared by his successor President [[Mikhail Saakashvili]]. "All strategic contracts in Georgia, especially the contract for the Caspian pipeline are a matter of survival for the Georgian state," he told reporters on [[26 November]] [[2003]].{{Fact|date=December 2007}} ===Economics=== Although some have touted the BTC pipeline as potentially removing the dependence of the US and other Western nations on oil from the [[Middle East]], in reality it doesn't change global dependence on Middle Eastern oil as it supplies only 1% of global demand during its first stage.{{Fact|date=December 2007}} However, the pipeline diversifies the global oil supply and so insures, to an extent, against a failure in supply elsewhere. Critics of the pipeline—particularly Russia—are skeptical about its economic prospects and see this as politically motivated.<ref name=rian>{{cite web | publisher= RIA Novosti| title = Russia skeptical about Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline | url= http://en.rian.ru/business/20050602/40460669.html | date = [[2005-06-02]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> Construction of the BTC pipeline has contributed significantly to the economies of the host countries. In the first half of [[2007]], a year after the completion and launch of BTC pipeline as the main export route for Azerbaijani oil, the real GDP growth of Azerbaijan hit a record of 35%.<ref name=imf>{{cite web | publisher= International Monetary Fund | title = Republic of Azerbaijan — Concluding Statement of the IMF Mission | url= http://www.imf.org/external/np/ms/2007/092607.htm | date = [[2007-09-06]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> Substantial transit fees accrues to Georgia and Turkey. For Georgia the transit fees are expected to produce an average of US$62.5 million per year.<ref name=silkroad5>{{cite journal | publisher= The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Silk Road Studies Program | author= Vladimer Papava | title = The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Implications for Georgia | url= http://www.silkroadstudies.org/BTC_5.pdf | journal= The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Oil Window to the West | pages=85–102| format=PDF | date=[[2005]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> Turkey is expected to receive approximately US$200 million in transit fees per year in the initial years of operation, with the possibility of increasing to US$290 million per year from year 17 to year 40. Turkey is also benefitting from an increase in economic activity in eastern Anatolia, including increased importance of the port of Ceyhan, which had experienced significant reductions of activities since the 1991 Gulf War.<ref name=silkroad3/> The reduction of oil tanker traffic on the [[Bosphorus]] will contribute to greater security for Istanbul.<ref name=zaman>{{cite web | publisher= Today's Zaman | title = Loading of Azeri Crude Oil from BTC Pipeline Begins | url= http://www.zaman.com/?bl=hotnews&alt=&trh=20060603&hn=33694 | date = [[2006-06-03]] | accessdate=2007-03-01}}</ref> One of the concerns related to the use of oil revenues is the level of corruption. To counter concerns that oil money would be siphoned off by corrupt officials, Azerbaijan has set up a State oil fund (State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan, or [[SOFAZ]]), expressly mandated with using natural-resource revenue to benefit future generations, to bolster support from key international lenders and improve transparency and accountability. SOFAZ is audited by Deloitte and Touche. Additionally, Azerbaijan became the first oil producing country in the world to join EITI &mdash; the British-led [[Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative]].<ref name=silkroad4/> ===Security=== Concerns have also been addressed about the security of the BTC pipeline.<ref name=guardian2>{{cite web | publisher= The Guardian | author= Nick Paton Walsh | title = Russia accused of plot to sabotage Georgian oil pipeline | url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1096825,00.html | date = [[2003-12-01]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref><ref name=iags>{{cite web | publisher= Institute for the Analysis of Global Security | author= Gal Luft | title = Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline: not yet finished and already threatened | url= http://www.iags.org/n1104041.htm | date = [[2004-11-04]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> It deliberately bypasses the border of [[Armenia]] (with which Azerbaijan is still technically at war over the status of the [[Armenians|Armenian]]-populated [[separatism|separatist]] region of [[Nagorno-Karabakh]] in Azerbaijan), crosses through Georgia (which has two unresolved separatist conflicts) and goes through the edges of the [[Kurdish people|Kurdish]] region of Turkey (which has seen a prolonged and bitter conflict with separatists).<ref name=guardian3/> It will require constant guarding to prevent sabotage, though the fact that almost all of the pipeline is buried will make it harder to attack.<ref name=silkroad4/> ===Environment=== Several ecological issues had been raised concerning the BTC pipeline. Critics of the pipeline have pointed out that the region through which it travels is highly seismic, suffering from frequent [[earthquake]]s. The route takes the pipeline through three active faults in Azerbaijan, four in Georgia and seven in Turkey. The pipeline's engineers have equipped it with a number of technical solutions to reduce its vulnerability to earth movements. However, the BTC pipeline for almost half of its entire route goes through the same territory as the Baku-Supsa pipeline, which has been in operation since 1999 and has an exemplary safety record. {{Fact|date=July 2008}} The pipeline crosses the [[drainage basin|watershed]] of the [[Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park]] (albeit not entering the park territory), an area of [[mineral water]] springs and outstanding natural beauty in Georgia.<ref name=guardian>{{cite web | publisher= The Guardian | author= Michael Meacher | title = Casualties of the oil stampede | url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1506665,00.html#article_continue | date = [[2005-06-15]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> This has long been the subject of fierce opposition by environmental activists. Since the pipeline is buried for its entire length, constructing it has left a highly visible scar across the landscape. The Oxford-based "Baku Ceyhan Campaign" averred that "public money should not be used to subsidise social and environmental problems, purely in the interests of the private sector, but must be conditional on a positive contribution to the economic and social development of people in the region."{{Fact|date=December 2007}} As the Borjomi mineral water is a major export commodity of Georgia, any [[oil spill]]s there would have a catastrophic effect on the viability of the local [[bottled water|water bottling]] industry. The field joint coating of the pipeline has also been an area of controversy as there were shortcomings in tests of used sealant SPC 2888.<ref name=time>{{cite web | publisher= Times Online | author= Michael Gillard; David Connett | title = BP 'covered up' pipeline flaw | url= http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article381934.ece | date = [[2005-04-17]] | accessdate=2007-12-29}}</ref> BP and its contractors interrupted work until the problem was eliminated.<ref name=silkroad3>{{cite journal | publisher= The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Silk Road Studies Program | author= Jonathan Elkind | title = Economic Implications of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline | url= http://www.silkroadstudies.org/BTC_3.pdf | journal= The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Oil Window to the West | pages=39–60| format=PDF | date=[[2005]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> On the positive side, the BTC pipeline eliminates 350 tanker cargoes per year through the sensitive and very congested [[Bosphorus]] and [[Dardanelles]]. The [[World Bank]] as a condition of financing required the use of [[catalytic converter]]s on the 18 large [[Wärtsilä]] engine driven compressors used to transport the oil through the pipeline in the Turkish portion. Consequently each of the 7600 hp engines have reduced their [[carbon dioxide]] and [[volatile organic compound]]s emissions by greater than 90% providing a significant [[Air Quality Index|air quality]] improvement over the 350 tanker shipments through the Bosphorus.<ref name=dcl>{{cite web | publisher= DCL International Inc. | title = Oxidation Catalysts for BTC Pipeline | url= http://www.dcl-inc.com/case.cfm?autoid=16&lg=EN | accessdate=2007-12-29}}</ref> ===Human rights=== [[Human rights]] activists criticized Western governments for the pipeline, due to reported human and [[civil rights]] abuses by the [[Aliyev]] regime.<ref name=hrw>{{cite web | publisher= Human Right Watch | title = Human Rights Overview - Azerbaijan | url= http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/01/18/azerba12226.htm | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> A [[Czech Republic|Czech]] documentary film ''[[Zdroj]]'' (''Source'') underscores these human rights abuses, such as [[eminent domain]] violations in appropriating land for the pipeline's route, and criticism of the government leading to arrest.<ref name=variety>{{cite web | publisher= Variety | author= Eddie Cockrell | title = Source. A review | url= http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117927708.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0 | date = [[2005-07-18]] | accessdate=2007-12-29}}</ref> The project was also criticized by the [[Kurdish Human Rights Project]]. ==In fiction== The BTC pipeline has been featured (in fictional form) in popular culture: it was a central plot point in the [[James Bond]] film ''[[The World Is Not Enough]]'' ([[1999]]). One of the film's central characters, [[Elektra King]], is responsible for the construction of an oil pipeline through the Caucasus, from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Named the "King pipeline" in the film, it is a thinly disguised version of the BTC.<ref name=guardian3>{{cite web | publisher= The Guardian | author= Mark Tran | title = Q&A: The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline | url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2005/may/26/businessqandas.oilandpetrol | date = [[2005-05-26]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}}</ref> ==See also== {{wikinews||First pipeline opens from Caspian Sea|First pipeline opens from Caspian Sea}} *[[Economy of Azerbaijan]] *[[Foreign relations of Azerbaijan]] *[[Foreign relations of Georgia]] *[[Foreign relations of Turkey]] *[[Geostrategy in Central Asia]] *[[Petroleum politics]] *[[Dutch disease]] *[[Baku-Supsa Pipeline]] *[[Baku-Novorossiysk Pipeline]] ==Notes== {{Reflist|2}} ==References== *{{cite book | publisher= [[Simon & Schuster]] | author = [[Daniel Yergin]] | title = The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power | pages=912 | isbn=0671502484 | date=[[1991]]}} *{{cite book | publisher= l’Harmattan | author = Turab Gurbanov | title = [[Le pétrole de la Caspienne et la politique extérieure de l'Azerbaïdjan]] : tome 1- Questions économiques et juridiques | pages=304 | isbn=978-2-296-04019-9 | date=[[2007]]}} *{{cite book | publisher= l’Harmattan | author = Turab Gurbanov | title = [[Le pétrole de la Caspienne et la politique extérieure de l'Azerbaïdjan]] : tome 2- Questions géopolitiques | pages=297 | isbn=978-2-296-04020-5 | date=[[2007]]}} *{{cite book | publisher= The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Silk Road Studies Program | author = S. Frederick Starr, Svante E. Cornell | title = The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Oil Window to the West | url= http://www.silkroadstudies.org/new/inside/publications/BTC.pdf | pages=150 | format=PDF | isbn=91-85031-06-2 | date=[[2005]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}} ==External links== {{external links}} *[http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9006669&contentId=7015093 Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline (BP website)] *[http://www.botasint.com/default.aspx?dil=eng BIL (BOTAŞ International Limited)]'', Operator of the BTC Pipeline on Turkish territory'' *[http://www.ifc.org/btc BTC project (IFC website)] *[http://www.ebrd.com/projects/psd/psd2003/18806.htm BTC project (EBRD website)] *[http://www.oilfund.az Azerbaijan State Oil Fund official website] *[http://www.hydrocarbons-technology.com/projects/bp/ Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) Caspian Pipeline], ''HydrocarbonsTechnology.com'' *[http://www.bakuceyhan.org.uk/ Baku-Ceyhan Campaign], a website against the BTC Pipeline *[http://radiobergen.org/russia/pipeline_politics.htm Russian pipeline politics], excerpt from Robert O. Freedman, ''Russian-Iranian politics in the 1990s'' *{{cite web | publisher= The Washington Institute for Near East Policy | author=Soner Cagaptay, Nazli Gencsoy | title = Startup of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline: Turkey's Energy Role. Policy Watch #998 | url= http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2319 | date=[[2005-05-27]] | accessdate=2007-12-30}} * [http://www.sras.org/geopolitics_of_oil_pipelines_in_central_asia The Geopolitics of Oil Pipelines in Central Asia], Article on the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline featured in Vestnik, the Journal of Russian and Asian Studies [[Winter]] 2007 * [http://www.ingenia.org.uk/ingenia/articles.aspx?Index=491 Engineering the BTC Pipeline], the former head of BP, [[Lord Browne]] [[FREng]], reflects on the engineering challenges of constructing the BTC pipeline, ''Ingenia'' magazine, June 2008 [[Category:Oil pipelines]] [[Category:Caucasus]] [[Category:Caspian Sea]] [[Category:Energy in Azerbaijan]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in Azerbaijan]] [[Category:Energy in Georgia (country)]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in Georgia (country)]] [[Category:Energy in Turkey]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in Turkey]] [[Category:Azerbaijani-Turkish relations]] [[Category:BP]] [[Category:Chevron Corporation]] [[Category:ConocoPhillips]] [[az:Bakı-Tbilisi-Ceyhan boru xətti]] [[cs:Ropovod Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan]] [[de:Baku-Tiflis-Ceyhan-Pipeline]] [[es:Oleoducto Bakú-Tiflis-Ceyhan]] [[fr:Oléoduc Bakou-Tbilissi-Ceyhan]] [[ga:Pioiblíne Baku-Tiflis-Ceyhan]] [[it:Oleodotto Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan]] [[he:צינור הנפט באקו-טביליסי-ג'ייהאן]] [[ka:ბაქო-თბილისი-ჯეიხანის ნავთობსადენი]] [[hu:Baki–Tbiliszi–Ceyhan kőolajvezeték]] [[nl:Bakoe-Tbilisi-Ceyhanpijpleiding]] [[ru:Нефтепровод Баку — Тбилиси — Джейхан]] [[fi:Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan-öljyputki]] [[tr:Bakü Tiflis Ceyhan Petrol Boru Hattı]]