Azerbaijan's oil exports via Turkey pipeline fall 4.5% in Jan-Aug

BAKU, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Azeri oil exports through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline via Georgia and Turkey fell 4.5% year-on-year in January-August of 2019 to 21.307 million tonnes, the State Statistics Committee said on Monday.

The BTC pipeline is used to export oil from the Azeri, Chirag and Guneshli (ACG) oilfields operated by BP.

Azerbaijan's total oil exports during the January-August period totalled 26.384 million tonnes, around 81% of which was exported through the BTC.

Azerbaijan also exports oil via Russia through the Baku-Novorossiisk pipeline and via Georgia by rail and through the Baku-Supsa pipeline.

Oil from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Russia is also exported through the BTC pipeline, although Turkmenistan diverted its flows through the BTC to a Russian port earlier this year.

Azeri oil exports via the BTC rose 0.2% in 2018 to 33.827 million tonnes.

Azerbaijan's total oil exports last year amounted to 41.490 million tonnes.

(Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; writing by Margarita Antidze; editing by Deepa Babington)