15:21 - 2.06.2026

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June 2, Fineko/abc.az. BP will transfer operatorship of the Baku–Supsa oil pipeline to Azerbaijan and Georgia on June 8, 2026, ABC.AZ informs, quoting Gordon Birrell, BP's Executive Vice President for Production & Operations.

"On June 8, BP will transfer operatorship of the Azerbaijani and Georgian sections of the Baku–Supsa pipeline to the owners of those sections in Azerbaijan and Georgia," Birrell said.

He stressed that the transfer does not signify BP's withdrawal from the asset.

"This is simply the fulfillment of a contractual obligation undertaken by BP when the pipeline agreement was signed ten years ago," he said.

Birrell emphasized that the process should not be interpreted as reflecting BP's own preference.

"These are the terms of the contracts. As the previous operator of the pipeline, we have contractual obligations. By fulfilling those obligations, we are returning the pipeline to its owners. This is not our choice; it is our contractual obligation," he noted.

Commenting on the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, Birrell said that BP's operatorship arrangements for BTC are governed by a separate agreement.

"The Baku–Supsa contract is a separate one. Under that agreement, operatorship is transferred in each country to the government, as the owner, and the government then determines the operator. For BTC, there is an agreement that operatorship in Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye will be transferred to SOCAR. This is also based on a prior agreement. The transfer will take place in early July," he added.