* Partners' credits to be used in BTC construction * "Azerbaijan will conduct construction of its section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan main export oil pipeline at own expenses, as we have sufficient funds for the time being. To avoid interruption in the construction work, credits will be borrowed from bp and other partner companies," President of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic, SOCAR, Natiq Aliyev has told AssA-Irada. * According to him, as the European Bank for Reconstruction...... полностью

* Huge increase in oil transport * The Caspian Shipping Company (CSC) is expected to increase its oil transportation capacity by 67 percent in 2004, chief of the Company Aydin Basirov has told journalists. * "For the time being, we can transport 12 million tons of oil and oil products per annum. But we will be able to increase the figure up to 20 million tons after we have received new tankers," Mr. Basirov said. * The Krasnoye Sormovo shipyard in Nizhny Novgorod is currently building four ta...... полностью

* New onshore oil contracts * The 10th Caspian Oil and Gas-2003 exhibition and conference to be held in Baku over June 3 - 6 will be marked by signing new agreements on the development of a number of onshore hydrocarbon deposits in Azerbaijan. Following the announcement, Minister for Fuel and Energy Macid Karimov has told AssA-Irada that the ministry and the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) are working on a special program in this direction, and are holding talks with several foreign oil...... полностью

* Refineries hike supplies  * Oil refineries in Azerbaijan in January-February 2003 supplied 916,700 tonnes of oil products to the fuel market in January-February 2003, up 15.7 per cent on last years figure, the  State Statistics Committee said in a monthly report. The domestic market has consumed 65 per cent of the total supply, with the remaining 35 per cent slated for export.Azerenerji accounted for 61.8 per cent of supplies to the domestic market, Azernefttachizat (a SOCAR divisi...... полностью

* Agreement to  include Kazakhstan in BTC * At a two-day meeting in Almati about Kazakhstan joining the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline project, a number of legal documents were considered. SOCAR president Natiq Aliyev has said a treaty between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan to be signed in six months will take into account all issues, including terms of oil transportation and environmental questions. According to him, in addition to this document, the Azerbaijani and Kazakh governments ...... полностью

* Istiglal sails away to work on Shah Deniz * The Shah Deniz partners announced that on Monday the "Istiglal" semi-submersible drilling rig sailed to start the Stage1 Development pre-drilling programme in the Shah Deniz gas and condensate field area.  This follows the major decision taken by the partners late February to sanction the Stage 1 project. * Earlier the "Aura", a Tidewater Marine International Inc. vessel, under contract to BP Exploration (Caspian Sea) Ltd., towed the flotation ...... полностью

* Unmanned aircraft to protect pipelines * Unmanned aircrafts will protect the Georgian section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (BTE) gas pipelines. The president of the Georgian International Oil Corporation, Georgi Chanturiya, was speaking to journalists. These unmanned planes will be manufactured at the aviation plant in Tbilisi. Chanturiya said that the Georgian, Turkish and Azerbaijani governments are continuing efforts to ensure maximum security for the p...... полностью

* $80m to be invested in onshore Kursangi Qarabagli field * The Salyan Oil Operating Company plans to invest $80m in the development of the onshore Kursangi-Qarabagli oil field in 2003. The Chinese ambassador to Azerbaijan, Chyan Siyun, has told journalists that this sum also includes equipment used to drill new wells and expand operating wells. Specialists from the Chinese National Oil Corporation (CNOC) will utilize modern technology to carry out works in Azerbaijan. * The total investment t...... полностью

* President hosts BTC progress meeting * The Azerbaijani Presidential Administration has reported that a meeting was held at the President's Office on Wednesday to discuss issues relating to implementation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan main oil export pipeline project. * President Heydar Aliyev gave a detailed speech on the project's progress and future plans. * Also speaking at the meeting were AIOC president David Woodward, president of the Georgian International Oil Corporation Georgi Chantur...... полностью

President approves fresh SOCAR charter, structure * President Heydar Aliyev issued a decree on January 24 to approve the Charter and Structure of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR). * Under the decree, the onshore and offshore oil and gas production unions of SOCAR will be combined into the Azneft production union, while the marketing and economic operations department will be set up on the basis of the merger of the foreign economic relations department and the Azarneftt...... полностью