07 August 2008, 12:22
Baku-Tbilisy-Ceihan oil pipeline exploded in Turkey
An explosion occurred at the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceihan oil pipeline in the region of Arzijan in Turkey. The Kurd Workers' Party (RKK) has taken the responsibility for the incident. Turkish media report that the organization has claimed the explosion was effected by suicide terrorists.
Within seconds, the territory crossed by the pipeline (near the village of Yurtbashi, Erzinjan region), was in fire. The flames were 40-50 meters high.
Pipeline gate valves Nos 29 and 31 were immediately cut off from Ankara. The rescue team which arrived to the place of explosion could not start extinguishing the fire at once because it was necessary to wait until the oil which remained in the pipeline up till gate valve No 30 (6 kilometer long section) poured off, before extinguishing fire. Measures were taken to preclude the fire from reaching the gas pipeline running only 150 meters from the place of explosion and a large wood.
The Baku office of the "British Petroleum" company reported to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that, under the agreement on the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceihan project, the responsibility for the security and compensation for the damage inflicted by breaks in the pipeline functioning was born by the country on the territory of which the pipeline failed.
They also reported that, regardless of the fire, oil extraction on the "Azeri - Chyrag - Guneshli" platform was not suspended and noted that the operation regime on the BTC pipeline would be restored and normalized soon. What is known so far is that 12,000 barrels of crude oil has burnt as a result of the pipeline section explosion.
Author: Rafael Gasanov, CK correspondent
