THE ENERGETIC CHART WILL CONSIDER PROSPECTS OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PIPELINE FOR GAS DELIVERIES TO EUROPE THROUGH IRAN
BAKU.03.10.2003.MEDIA-PRESS: The representatives of the countries-members of the Energetic Chart consider questions of the practical realization of the joint project of the construction of the pipeline for gas deliveries from Asia to Europe through the territory of Iran.
BAKU.03.10.2003.MEDIA-PRESS: As demands for the LNG grow in the world, needs in large-capacity vessels, which would be able to transport this explosive product grow. As "Interfax" informs, the leading French Concern Gaz de France has signed the contract with Chantiers de L'Atlantique on the construction of the tanker for transportation the LNG.
BAKU.03.10.2003.MEDIA-PRESS: The new transformer with a capacity of 125 MBA for the substation "Sangachal" has been delivered to Azerbaijan.
BAKU.03.2003.MEDIA-PRESS: The National bank of Azerbaijan (NBA) will repeal limitations for sharing of the foreign capital in the bank system of the country up to the end of 2003. The relevant resolution has been included in the project of the letter prepared by the Government of the Republic for the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
BAKU.03.10.2003.MEDIA-PRESS: Azerbaijan plans to reduce payments on the external borrowings by 20 - 25% in 2004 in comparison with plans by 2003. "Totally it is planned to transfer up to $140 MM for payments by received credits", - the source in the Ministry of Finance of the Republic has informed the agency "Interfax-Azerbaijan".
BAKU.03.10.2003.MEDIA-PRESS: The Commission on the bioresources of the Caspian Sea with participation of the littoral states - Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran will determine quotas on the sturgeons fishing and the black caviar fishing for 2004. The Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Advisor Mr. Tariel Mamedly has informed about this.
BAKU.03.10.2003.MEDIA-PRESS: The Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Mr. Khalaf Khalafov will take part in the international conference by theme "The Caspian Sea and Central Asia: stability and development", which will be held on October 13 - 18 in the suburb of London.
BAKU.03.10.2003.MEDIA-PRESS: Ankara is not able to revise the regulations of the navigation through the Turkish straits - Bosphorus and Dardanelles towards simplifying. The new Commander of the Shore Guard of Turkey Mr. Barish Tozar has declared about this. He has noted, the straits already now work by the maximum capacity. The daily traveling of 500 - 600 ships through them will bring to accidents.
BAKU. 03.10.2003.MEDIA-PRESS: The official foundation of the joint Azerbaijan-German Company on the pipe concrete coating "Eupec-Azerbaijan" has been held in Azerbaijan. The Premier of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev, the Ambassador of Germany in Azerbaijan Mr. Claus Grevlig, the Ministries of Fuel and Energy, the Economic Development and officials of the company BP took part in the ceremony.
BAKU.03.10.2003.MEDIA-PRESS: The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan and the JC founded with its help produced 6.584 MM tons of oil that by 1.6% or 102.7 thou tons more than the planned rates, Media-Press has been informed in the SOCAR. 6.046MM tons (a growth by 0.4%) made the part of the SOCAR, the JC produced 638.1 thou tons (a growth by 13.7%).
BAKU.03.10.2003.MEDIA-PRESS: Since the beginning of the year 3.854 bn cubic meters of gas have been produced in Azerbaijan and this by 2.7% more than it was planned. 3.105 bn cubic meters make a part of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan, 749.7 bn cubic meters were produced by the Azerbaijan International Company (AIOC). The joint companies has produced 80.9 MM cubic meters of gas.
BAKU.03.10.2003.MEDIA-PRESS: On September the Marketing and Economic Operations of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan delivered for export 60.33 thou tons of the oil products: car benzene - 18.714 thou tons, diesel fuel - 35.800 thou tons, aircraft kerosene - 5.82 thou tons. Butane was not exported on September. The oil products deliveries grew up in over one and a half times in comparison with August. Totally since the beginning of the year 591.27 thou tons of oil products were delivered for export.
BAKU.03.10.2003.MEDIA-PRESS: "The Georgian and Russian sides never discussed a problem on "fitting" of the pipeline Novorossiysk - Supsa - Ceyhan (NSJ) in the export pipeline (MEP) Baku - Tbilisi - Ceyhan (BTC), provided for the Caspian oil export. The point was about the construction of the perfectly independent pipeline, by which oil of Russia and may be Kazakhstan could be exported from Novorossiysk to the Turkish port Ceyhan in the Mediterranean Sea by the Bosphorus". The Ambassador of Georgia in Azerbaijan Mr. Zurab Gumberidze has informed Media-Press about this.
BAKU.03.10.2003.MEDIA-PRESS: On October 10 - 12 the tanker of the new generation "Djalil Mamedkulizade" will be delivered to Baku, the port of registry. The vessel with the deadweight of 8 thou tons has been built on the Russian Shipbuilding Plant "Krasnoye Sormovo". The Caspian Shipping Company allocated $8.75 MM for its construction.
BAKU.03.10.2003.MEDIA-PRESS: The Russian "LUKoil" projects to leave behind the American ExxonMobil by volume of the hydrocarbonates supplies. The Vice-President of "LUKoil" Mr. Leonid Fedun has declared about this.
BAKU.03.10.2003.MEDIA-PRESS: Iran has announced the tender on development of eight new oil fields in the Persian Gulf - Busher,Iran Mekhr, Deir, Khamun, Alvand, Foruz, Tosan and Lark. The Iranian compnies as well as the foreign ones are invited to take part into the competition. The development of these fields will allow increasing the oil supplies of Iran by 2 bn bbls.
BAKU.03.10.2003.MEDIA-PRESS: The Minister of Oil of Iran Mr. Bijan Zangane has spoken out the initiative that the General Secretary of the petroleum exporting countries (OPEC) should be not elective official, but appointed; and then the next rotation should be carried out with participation of officials from 11 countries-members of the Organization.
By the information of the Iranian Agency ShANA the General Secretary of the Energetic Chart Mr. Ria Kemper has announced about conduction of the official half of a year conference of the Chart in Brussels on December 10 and invited the official of the IRI for participation in the conference.
The Deputy Minister of Oil of Iran on the International Relations Mr. Khadi Nejad Khoseyniyan taking part in the conference of the Energetic Chart, which is held in Uzbekistan has declared at the meeting with its Secretary on readiness of its country for entering into this organization and close cooperation with it. During meeting the decision was accepted that the Energetic Chart will deliver its specialists to Iran for consideration of the practical and legal issues of realization of the project and on January the sitting with participation of mentioned experts will be held.
GAZ DE FRANCE WILL BUILD THE LARGEST VESSEL IN THE WORLD FOR TRANSPORTATION OF THE LIQUIDATED GAS
The largest tanker in the world for transportation of the LNG will be constructed by October 2005. It will be able to transport 153 thou cubic meters of gas and will join in the fleet including 8 vessels, used by Gaz de France.
The vessel will be equipped by the hermetic gas saving as well the most modern engine installation operating mainly on the natural gas.
THE NEW TRANSFORMER FOR THE SUBSTATION "SANGACHAL" HAS BEEN DELIVERED TO AZERBAIJAN
As Media-Press has been informed in the JC "Azerenerji" its mounting will be started.
The construction brigades of "Azerenerji" has been prepared its base and carried out works on connection of the subsidiary infrastructure. Also the demounting of the out of date transformer by 63 MVA has been made.
The reconstruction of the substation is carried out with a goal of amplifying of the reliability of the energetic supplying the oil terminal in Sangachal, which is the strategic object of the MEP Baku - Tbilisi - Ceyhan.
As well the construction of the new substation by 110 kB is conducted on the territory of the Sangachal terminal. The JC "Azerenerji" and the German "Siemens" carry out it.
AZERBAIJAN INTENDS TO REFUSE OF LIMITATIONS FOR SHARING OF THE FOREIGN CAPITAL IN THE BANKS
In accordance with this document, the Agency "Interfax-Azerbaijan" informs, a refusal from participation of the foreign capital has an aim of strengthening of the competition in the bank system of Azerbaijan.
At the present time a foreign capital sharing should not exceed 50% of the total authorized capital of all banks. Really it makes 18%.
"Besides of this, up to the end of 2003 the Ministry of Finance will announce the order of holding tender on some kinds of bank services of the state organs in 2004 - for strengthening of the competition", - it is emphasized in the document. By plans of the Government, since the beginning of 2005, the Ministry of Finance will conduct a selection of banks for rendering services to the state on the base of only tenders.
By September 1, 2003 46 banks operate in Azerbaijan and 16 one of them operate with the foreign capital sharing; in five of them the foreign sharing makes from 50% up to 100%, in nine of them less than 50%; two banks operate as branches of the banks-nonresidents.
The official rate of exchange by October 1 makes 4910 manats/$1.
IN 2004 AZERBAIJAN INTENDS TO REDUCE PAYMENTS ON EXTERNAL CREDITS BY 20 - 25%
About $50 - 60MM will make payments on the main total of the state debt of Azerbaijan to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), about $3 - 4 MM - by the Fund credit rates, about $80 - 90 MM will make payments of the enterprises of the country on credits of the international financial organizations.
Reduction of the volumes of payments on credits is associated with reduction of payments on credits of the IMF. In the current year it is planned to transfer about $70 MM for payments on rates - $7 - 8 MM. The National Bank of Azerbaijan carries out payments on credits of the IMF.
As the source in the Ministry of Finances has informed, it is planned also to reduce the volume of means, which is provided in the state budget as an assistance to the state enterprises to redemption of the external credits from $21 MM planned for 2003 up to $18 MM in 2004.
By the words of the source, the means of the budget will be used in this case if the state enterprises-borrowers will meet problems on payments for the credits.
"For the last two years the favourable situation has been formed, when borrowers redeem credits", - the official of the Ministry of Finance has emphasized. By his words, the state enterprises-borrowers periodically meet problems with the redemption of the foreign credits, however, they solve them in the end themselves.
In the next day the JC "Azerenergy" plans payments on credits in a total of $20 - 25 MM, the State Concern "Azal" - $10 - 15 MM, the State Company "Azerkhimiya" - $13 - 14 MM", - the source has noted.
THE INTERSTATE COMMISSION ON THE CASPIAN BIORESOURCES WILL DETERMINE QUOTAS ON STURGEONS FISHING AND BLACK CAVIAR EXPORT FOR 2003
By his words, the total quota on the sturgeons fishing in the Caspian Sea in the current Sea makes about 1.5 thou tons. In this year the quotas for Russia and Azerbaijan were increased in average by 10 % in comparison with 2002 and made correspondingly 429tons and 127 tons. "The state of the sturgeons near the coasts of Russian and Azerbaijan coasts is considered satisfactory in result of measures on nature safety carried out in the last years", - Mr. T. Mamedly has said.
Quotas for Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran are lower in this year by 10% in average fin comparison the past year rates. Iran's quotas makes 776 tons, Kazakhstan's and Turkmenistan's ones are 26 tons and 56 tons correspondingly.
The black caviar export quotas for the Caspian states made 154 tons in 2003 against 142 tons in 2002. The quota for Azerbaijan made 9 tons, Russia - 30.3 tons, Kazakhstan - 23 tons, Turkmenistan - 5.85 tons, Iran - 78.8 tons.
Mr. T. Mamedli has noted that in the beginning of the 80-s, the Soviet Union produced about 30 thou tons of sturgeons and over 2thou tons of the black caviar.
AZERBAIJAN WILL TAKE PART IN THE LONDON CONFERENCE BY THE PROBLEMS OF THE CASPIAN REGION
Mr. Khalaf Khalafov has informed the agency "Interfax - Azerbaijan", the geopolitical situation in the Caspian region will be discussed in the Caspian region and development of the economic cooperation between the Caspian countries.
On October 16 after the completion of the President Elections in Azerbaijan Mr. Khalaf Khalafov will join to the participants of the conference.
Mr. Khalaf Khalafov is the special representative of Azerbaijan in the Special Working Group on the determination of the legal status of the Caspian Sea.
TURKEY DO NOT INTEND TO SIMPLIFY REGULATIONS OF NAVIGATION THROUGH THE BOSPHORUS
This statement of the Commander of the Shore Guard was an answer to the appeal of Russia to the International Marine Organization with demand of pressing Turkey for its simplifying the regulations on the navigation in Bosphorus and Dardanelle.
A year ago Ankara announced making strict the requirements for vessels traveling through the zone of the Turkish straits for ensuring the safety of the sea navigation and environmental safety. Russia announced that new regulations introduced by Ankara limit its oil export and increase prices for the resources exported by it.
At the present time, Mr. Tozal has informed, 140 vessels per a day pass through the Turkish straits and 50 thou ones per a year; 8 thou tankers transporting oil and other potentially dangerous cargo. Above 85% of accidents in the straits, he has noted, occur by blame of captains of vessels, which refuse of the services of the Turkish pilots and tug-boats. The new navigation automatic managing system provided for the Turkish straits has an aim to minimize a number of accidents on the Bosphorus and Dardanelle.
Russia opposes against forbid introduced by Turkey for navigation through straits at night of vessels with dimensions exceeding 200 meters by a length and advanced informing the Turkish authorities - 48 hours before - about traveling of ships carrying dangerous cargos.
THE CEREMONY ON FOUNDATION OF THE JOINT AZERBAIJAN-GERMAN COMPANY ON PIPES CONCRETE COATING HAS BEEN HELD IN BAKU
The Chief of the Azerbaijan Government expressed the gratefulness to Germany for support in the integration of the country in the European community. "The cooperation between our countries is developed successfully. Further we will need the help of Germany in the integration of Azerbaijan to the European family and we feel this support", - Mr. I. Aliyev has said.
As the Premier of Azerbaijan has noted that oil strategy of Azerbaijan, providing the investments flow and new job vacancies opening found their reflection in the new company. "In the next years $18 bn of investments will be allocated inthe oil sector of Azerbaijan. Already today Azerbaijan stands on one of the first places by a volume of the foreign investments per a capita among of the countries of the CIS and Eastern Europe.
By the words of Mr. I. Aliyev, just owing to the realization of the oil strategy this JC has been founded. The investments in the construction of the plant on the pipes concreting made $15 MM. 350 employees works here, and 300 one of them are the citizens of the Azerbaijan Republic and their salaries exceed $400 per a month.
The JC Eupec-Azerbaija has been founded by the German company Eupec Pipe Coatings and the Azerbaijan company Azpetrol. It already executes the order received from the Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC) on the anti-corrosion coating and concrete coating of pipes for underwater pipelines, which were laid within frameworks of the fulscale development of the fields "Azeri - Chiraq - Guneshli" (ACG). 150 km of pipes already have been coated by concrete within the frameworks of this contract and up to the end of the year this rate will increase by 50 km else. In the next year 221 km of pipes will be concreted for the ACG as well.
Besides, the company takes part in the tender on the analogous works for the project "Shakh-Deniz" (196 km) and also will be engaged in the pipe concrete coating for some pieces of the pipeline Baku - Tbilisi - Ceyhan (7km), which will be laid through the bottom of the rivers.
6.584 MM TONS OF OIL WERE PRODUCED IN AZERBAIJAN FOR NINE MONTHS
On September the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan has produced 731.6 thou tons of oil and this is by 0.4 thou tons or 0.1% higher than it was planned. 662 thou tons were produced by the oil and gas producing managements and 69.6 thou tons - joint companies.
Totally in 2003 the oil production in Azerbaijan is expected by level 15.25 MM tons, and 8.8 MM tons of oil will be produced from the fields of the SOCAR, and the Azerbaijan International Operating Company will produce 6.45 MM tons.
SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR GAS PRODUCTION IN AZERBAIJAN HAS MADE 3.85 BN CUBIC METERS OF GAS
On September the gas production made 426.3 MM cubic meters and this is by 3.3% or 13.5 MM cubic mneters higher than the planned rates. The part of the SOCAR makes 338.7 cubic meters and the AIOC produced 87.6 MM cubic meters. The joint companies produced 8.1 MM cubic meters of gas.
By the forecasts, the production of the "blue fuel" will make 5.04 bn cubic meters in this year and the Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC) will give 890 MM and the SOCAR - 4.15 bn cubic meters.
Up to 10 bn cubic meters of gas annually would be necessary for providing demands of Azerbaijan. In the past year Azerbaijan purchased 4 bn cubic meters of the "blue fuel" from the international group of the companies "Itera". The gas import of "Itera" made the same total in this year. Else one agreement was concluded with "Itera" on deliveries of 1.5 bn cubic meters of gas to the JC "Azerigaz". However this contract still is not executed for the present: the Azerbajan side has not available means.
The Republic will receive the subsidiary gas volumes as well since after within frameworks of the enlarging of the Sangachal oil terminal the gas drying installation will be constructed. Today all oil delivered to the terminal is separated from water and gas. The produced gas is burned. However, the construction of the modern gas drying installation will allow not burning gas, but delivering it to the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan, which will deliver it to the consumers. For realization of this idea the SOCAR plans to build the special installation on gas reception and the pipeline up to the Sangachal gas distribution point;
SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR THE MEOM OF THE SOCAR HAS EXPORTED 591.27 THOU TONS OF THE OIL PRODUCTS
The SOCAR has transported almost 220 thou tons of oil on September and over 2.044 MM tons of oil since the beginning of the year. The pumping volumes by this route will make 2.5 MM tons in the current year.
On October and November two parties of the crude oil by 220 thou tons of each will be transported to Novorossiisk by the "northern route", The reduction of pumping has been provided by December as in this period problems on weather conditions may emerge again in the Novorossiisk port. Besides, more oil for mazut production should be transported to the Baku OPP.
In the past year 2.5 MM tons of the Azerbaijan export oil have been transported through the Novorossiysk terminal. Tariffs for pumping makes $15.67 for a ton. (For comparison: tariff for the Azerbaian oil transit by the Pipeline Baku - Supsa makes $2.7 for a ton).
GEORGIA AND RUSSIA NEVER DISCUSSED A PROBLEM ON "FITTING" OF THE PIPELINE NOVOROSSIYSK - SUPSA - JEYHAN IN THE MEP BAKU - TBILISI - CEYHAN
The diplomat has emphasized that if the authors of this idea planned using the part of the MEP Baku - Tbilisi - Ceyhan they certainly should agree this with the investors and owners of the pipeline BTC.
The words of the Georgian Ambassador coincide with the comments given in the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan:"As the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan as the British-American BP have not any relations to the project of the construction of the pipeline Novorossiysk - Supsa - Ceyhan. The NSC is not connected in any way with the Main Exporting Pipeline Baku - Tbilisi - Ceyhan and there is no point in fitting in the MEP", - Media-Press has been informed in the SOCAR.
By the opinion of the Georgian and Russian experts, the pipeline NSC will bring profits and to Georgia and Russia. In the first turn for it will help to escape passing through the Turkish straits Bosphorus and Dardanelle, where traveling meets with difficulties in progress for the hard position of the Turkish authorities. Besides of this, Russia will won from given the project in average $500 - 700 MM only from difference between the transportation by the pipeline and sea transportations.
In spite of attractiveness of this idea for Moscow and Tbilisi, Turkey, where the oil from the pipeline NSC would be delivered in the end did not reacted at it in any way. Would the oil terminal in Ceyhan be able to receive the supplementary volumes of oil, besides of the Azerbaijan one and would Ankara agree on participation in this project at all? Above a year and half passed since the time when the idea of the pipeline NSC was offered and moreover, "Rosneftegazstroy" and the Georgian International Petroleum Corporation even signed the agreement on the construction of the pipeline and created the joint "GruRosnerftegazstroy". By this branch they intend to pump 30 MM tons of the Russian and Kazakhstan oil. And Ankara still keeps silence.
THE NEW OIL TANKER OF THE CASPIAN SHIPPING COMPANY "DJALIL MAMEDKULIZADE" WILL BE DELIVERED TO BAKU ON OCTOBER 12
The tanker has ben provided by the double body and this would prevent the oil pollution in accidents and corresponds to the international navigation regulations, by the modern navigation equipment and its dimensions have been designed for traveling through the inner waters of Russia. We shall remind that on May of this year the vessel of the analogous class "Professor Aziz Aliyev was built for the CSC.
In the next year else two oil tankers by the deadweight of 12 thou tons for each vessel will be built on the plant "Krasnoe Sormovo" by order of the CSC. They also will be provided by the double body and be able to transport simultaneously two kinds of the oil products. The construction of the vessels is carried out by means of the Caspian Shipping Company. The total cost of the contract on all 4 tanker makes $44.5 MM.
70 vessels are on the balance of the CPC, including 35 tankers and 35 dry cargo carriers. In the past year the ships of the company transported 7.3 MM tons of oil and oil products at the total volume of cargo transportations by 11.4 MM tons. The growth of transportations by 10% is expected in 2003.
IN 2005 "LUKOIL" PROJECTS TO LEAVE BEHIND "EXXONMOBIL" BY VOLUMES OF SUPPLIES OF THE HYDROCARBONATES
Now ExxonMobil occupies the first place in the world by supplies of the crude hydrocarbonates, which are estimated by 21 bn bbl of the petroleum equivalent. "LUKoil" is on the 2nd place with supplies of 19.7 bn bbls.
By the words of Fedun, the growth of supplies, particularly, is expected in account of exploring drilling on the structure Yalama in the Caspian Sea. He also noted that the company will be able to continue trade by supply remainders. In the first turn the wells with low debit rates will be sold.
IRAN HAS ANNOUNCED A TENDER ON DEVELOPMENT OF EIGHT OIL FIELDS IN THE PERSIAN GULF
The largest oil field in the country Azadegan has not been included in this list. By the words of the officials of Iran, this is connected with the intensions of the authorities to delay the acceptance of its development for some time.Earlier Iran provided the priory right on the realization of this project for Japan, as Tokyo promised allocation of $2 bn to Iran. However, recently the Iranian officials have declared that Japan has lost this right as under the US pressure Tokyo did not answer neither positively nor negatively to the offer of Tehran.
TEHERAN OFFERS TO MAKE THE POST OF THE GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE OPEC REPLACED BUT NOT ELECTIVE
On September 24, at the last summit meeting, held in Vienna, the members of the cartel could not define the choice of the new General Secretary. The commissions of the present General Secretary Mr. Alvaro Silva expire on January 1, 2004. The representatives of Iran, Catar and Venezuela pretended for his place. The elections of the new General Secretary were carried out by secret ballot.
