Azeri Oil Exports Decline 2% in Jan-Sept 2014

Azerbaijan's oil exports fell 2 percent year-on-year in the first nine months of 2014, a source at the State Statistics Committee said on Wednesday, driven by declines at fields operated by BP.

The committee source said Azerbaijan exported 25.4 million tonnes of oil, down from 25.9 million in the same nine months of last year.

Falling output at the main Azeri, Chirag and Guneshli (ACG)oilfields has raised concerns in Baku.

BP and its partner, Azeri state energy firm SOCAR, have tried to calm those fears, saying production has stabilised. Total oil output grew last year for the first time since 2011.

Azerbaijan's oil and condensate output fell 2.2 percent to 32.1 million tonnes in January-September this year from 32.8 million in the same period in 2013, the source added.

Exports of oil via Russia through the Baku-Novorossiisk pipeline amounted to 763,594 tonnes in the nine months, down from 1.325 million.

Exports through the Baku-Supsa pipeline via Georgia rose to 3.187 million tonnes from 2.985 million, while exports through Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan via Georgia and Turkey were 20.757 million tonnes, down from 20.890 million.

Oil exports shipped by rail via Georgia rose to 719,265 tonnes from 702,549.

BP said earlier this year that ACG oil production in 2014 might be slightly lower than in 2013 as the company planned maintenance work at the Central Azeri and West Azeri platforms, halting operations for a couple of weeks.

It did not say when the work would start.

Output from ACG fell to an average of 656,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the first half of 2014 from 672,000 bpd in the same period last year, although production in the first half was still higher than the average of 645,800 bpd produced in the first three months of the year, BP-Azerbaijan said in August.

(Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; Writing by Margarita Antidze; editing by Keiron Henderson)