First batch of Kashagan oil shipped by tankers via Aktau-Baku route - ASCO

BAKU. March 20 (Interfax) - The first batch of oil from Kazakhstan's Kashagan field has been shipped via the Aktau-Baku route across the Caspian Sea, the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO) said in a statement.

"Transportation of oil along the new route is carried out by the tanker "Academician Hoshbakht Yusifzadeh", belonging to ASCO's maritime transport fleet," the statement said.

According to the shipping company, the volume of the first batch is 6,900 tonnes.

"The tanker, which left the port of Aktau, will deliver Kashagan oil to the Sangachal terminal in Azerbaijan," it said.

Kazakh trunk pipeline operator KazTransOil confirmed the shipment. "The first trial shipment of 6,900 tonnes of oil from the Kashagan field for export was successfully completed at the port of Aktau for onward delivery to the port of Baku," the Kazakh company's press service of said.

KazTransOil said earlier that it had scheduled a trial shipment of 7,000 tonnes of oil from the Kashagan field through the port of Aktau in March. Inpex North Caspian Sea Ltd is the shipping agent for the Kashagan oil.

North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC), which is developing the Kashagan field in Kazakhstan, said previously that it had only pipeline infrastructure at its disposal to export oil, however it is working on diversifying export routes.