Azerbaijan's oil exports via Turkey pipeline fall 3.5% in H1

BAKU, July 17 (Reuters) - Azeri oil exports through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline via Georgia and Turkey fell 3.5% year-on-year in the first half of 2019 to 15.985 million tonnes, the State Statistics Committee said on Wednesday.

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-June period totalled 19.744 million tonnes, 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 David Evans)