BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 6. The transfer of bp's operatorship of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline (BTC) is not a unilateral decision by the company but a requirement outlined in the original contract, the company's Regional President for Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye, Gio Cristofoli, said during a briefing,Trend reports.
“This is stipulated in the contract concluded thirty years ago. Therefore, I want it to be clear: bp does not make a decision to ‘give away’ the pipeline. We are simply fulfilling the terms of the contract established 30 years ago,” he said.
Cristofoli noted that the transition is being managed through a strict change management process designed to prevent operational disruptions.
“We have a change management process that allows us to ensure that the transition will not lead to disruptions in operations. For example, within the framework of change management, we review key contractors and ways to transfer them. We analyze critical maintenance data and a number of other elements, all of which will be transferred to the relevant structures. But, as I said, this is regulated by a very strict and thorough change management process, because no one wants disruptions in the operation of pipelines,” he added.
Earlier, in December 2025, bp stated that discussions were underway with relevant authorities to plan the necessary steps for transferring operatorship of the Baku-Supsa pipeline and BTC pipelines.
According to the company, under the relevant pipeline management agreements, the operation of oil and gas export pipelines must be transferred to the respective governments or state authorities within the timeframes specified in those agreements.
“Based on these agreements, in 2021, the operation of the South Caucasus Pipeline was transferred to the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) in both Azerbaijan and Georgia. In accordance with the same agreements, the transfer of the operation of the Baku-Supsa and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipelines to the relevant authorities in Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye is also provided within pre-agreed timeframes. Discussions are currently underway with the relevant authorities to plan the necessary measures in this direction,” bp Azerbaijan said.
The total length of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline is 1,768 kilometers, of which 443 kilometers pass through Azerbaijan, 249 kilometers through Georgia, and 1,076 kilometers through Türkiye. Construction of the pipeline began in April 2003, and oil was loaded into the pipeline in May 2005.
The BTC Co. company, established in August 2002 to implement the project, has the following share distribution: bp (30.10%), SOCAR (32.97%), MOL (8.90%), TPAO (6.53%), Eni (5.00%), TotalEnergies (5.00%), ITOCHU (3.40%), ONGC Videsh (3.10%), ExxonMobil (2.50%), and INPEX (2.50%).
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