ASTANA — Kazakhstan is considering additional oil export routes through Azerbaijan and Georgia, including Baku-Supsa, after temporary restrictions on crude intake by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) in July prompted the diversion of some volumes to alternative routes.
Photo credit: Caspian Pipeline Consortiu
During the restrictions, some Kazakh oil was redirected through the Aktau port, the Atasu-Alashankou pipeline toward China and the Atyrau-Samara route, reported Kazinform, citing Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry spokesperson and adviser to the minister, Assel Serikpayeva.
“Additional export options under consideration include transportation through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan system, trans-Caspian shipments through Azerbaijan and the Baku-Supsa route,” she said.
Kazakhstan currently transports approximately 1.5 million tons of oil per year through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline. According to Serikpayeva, Azerbaijan has expressed readiness to increase its intake of Kazakh oil to 2.2 million tons annually.
Under the BTC route, Kazakh oil is shipped across the Caspian Sea from Aktau to Azerbaijan before entering the pipeline, which crosses Georgia and reaches the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan in Türkiye.
Baku-Supsa provides another route through Azerbaijan and Georgia, reaching the Supsa terminal on Georgia’s Black Sea coast. Kazakhstan considered using the corridor in 2025, when the ministry said its potential use would depend on commercial terms, operational efficiency and agreements between the companies involved.
The search for additional capacity comes as Kazakhstan continues to rely heavily on CPC for crude exports. The pipeline carries oil from western Kazakhstan to a marine terminal near Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. According to the ministry, 64.8 million tons of oil were exported through the route in 2025, out of Kazakhstan’s total oil exports of 78.7 million tons.
The route faced several disruptions in July. The Tengiz-Novorossiysk system resumed operations on July 8 following scheduled maintenance, while loading at the CPC marine terminal was later suspended after drone attacks on tankers on July 19 and 20.
Kazakhstan has previously redirected oil when CPC capacity was constrained. In December 2025, KazMunayGas rerouted approximately 300,000 tons through alternative channels, including shipments toward China and through the BTC system. Kazakhstan also exports oil through the Atyrau-Samara and Atasu-Alashankou pipelines and across the Caspian through the Aktau port.
