British oil major BP BP.L is looking to beef up security at its facilities in Azerbaijan after reports of alleged attacks on the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, the main route for Azerbaijani oil exports, it said on Wednesday.
The military clashes over the Nagorno-Karabakh region which was occupied by Armenia, have not affected energy supplies from the region but have put energy markets on edge.
Azerbaijan said late on Tuesday that it thwarted missile attacks in the vicinity of the oil pipelines including the BTC, which accounts for about 80% of Azeri oil pipeline exports, carrying more than 500,000 barrels of oil per day.
“We are especially worried about yesterday’s reports of a missile attack, which was intercepted and destroyed by Azerbaijan’s air defence systems in the vicinity of BTC and SCP (South Caucasus Pipeline) export pipelines,” BP said in a statement.
“While the security of all assets which BP operates on behalf of the Azerbaijan government and our partners is provided by the Azerbaijani government, we continue to work closely with the relevant authorities in an effort to take necessary measures to provide the protection of our personnel, operations and assets.”
Starting from September 27, the Armenian side shelled the positions of the Azerbaijan Army along the entire length of the front and Azerbaijani human settlements located in the frontline zone with large-calibre weapons, mortars, and artillery mounts of various calibers. Currently, the Azerbaijani Army carries out counter-attack in response to the Armenian military attacks.
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