Tengizchevroil Restarts Kazakhstan Oil Exports via Batumi Port Amid CPC Disruptions

Tengizchevroil (TCO), the operator of Kazakhstan's Tengiz field, has resumed shipping crude oil through the Batumi port in Georgia, marking the first such export since March. The move follows repeated disruptions to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which normally carries over 80% of Kazakhstan's oil, after drone attacks on tankers near Novorossiysk and adverse weather forced a temporary halt.

Since early July, about 20,000 metric tons of oil have been routed to Batumi, a more expensive alternative but necessary to keep export flows steady. The Batumi terminal is owned by KazTransOil, Kazakhstan's state pipeline company. TCO’s shareholders are Chevron (50%), ExxonMobil (25%), KazMunayGas (20%) and Lukoil (5%).