SOCAR has taken over operatorship of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline from BP, effective 1 July 2026, Azerbaijani news agency APA reports. The change is being implemented through SOCAR Midstream Operations (SMO), a subsidiary of SOCAR, and covers all three sections of the BTC pipeline in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye.
The transfer also includes management of joint BTC and South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) operations previously handled by BP.
The Sangachal terminal remains under BP operatorship, while all other BTC-related operational responsibilities have been handed over to SOCAR. The pipeline’s shareholding structure remains unchanged.
The companies said the transition is in line with existing project agreements and followed a final readiness decision by BTC Co., aimed at ensuring a safe and orderly handover of operations.
“Today’s announcement marks an important milestone for the BTC project,” said Gio Cristofoli, BP’s regional president for the Caspian, Central Asia and Türkiye. “We are confident that SOCAR will uphold the same high standards of safety, reliability and operational excellence.”
SOCAR President Rovshan Najaf said the takeover reflects the company’s growing experience in managing major energy infrastructure and reaffirmed BTC’s role as a key regional and global energy corridor.
BP will remain a shareholder in BTC and SCP and continues to operate major upstream projects in the Caspian, including Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli and Shah Deniz.
Earlier, under related agreements, Western Route Export Pipeline (WREP) facilities in Azerbaijan and Georgia were transferred in June 2026 to entities acting on behalf of the governments of Azerbaijan and Georgia.
The 1,768-kilometer BTC pipeline, which has a capacity of around 1 million barrels per day, has transported more than 4.7 billion barrels of crude oil since it began operations in 2006.
