Azeri Q1 oil exports up 3.7 pct yr/yr - customs committee source

(Adds details, background)

BAKU, April 16 (Reuters) - Azeri oil exports rose 3.7 percent in the first quarter year-on-year, a source at the State Customs Committee said on Thursday, driven by increasing oil output at fields operated by BP.

The source, who declined to be identified as he was not authorised to talk to the media, said Azerbaijan exported 8.4 million tonnes of oil in the first three months of this year, up from 8.1 million in the same period in 2014.

He said rising oil output at the main Azeri, Chirag and Guneshli (ACG) oilfields operated by BP had been the reason for the overall increase.

Crude oil and condensate production in Azerbaijan rose to 10.6 million tonnes in January-March from 10.4 million tonnes in the same period last year, the State Statistics Committee said on Monday.

Exports of oil via Russia through the Baku-Novorossiisk pipeline amounted to 339,491 tonnes in January-March 2015, up from 254,356 tonnes a year earlier.

Exports through the Baku-Supsa pipeline via Georgia rose to 1.09 million tonnes from 1.08 million tonnes, while exports through Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan via Georgia and Turkey were at 6.6 million tonnes, up from 6.5 million tonnes.

Oil exports shipped by rail via Georgia rose to 305,891 tonnes from 244,209.

Azerbaijan's oil exports dropped 3.5 percent to 33.04 million tonnes in 2014 from 34.25 million in 2013. (Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; Writing by Margarita Antidze; Editing by Elizabeth Piper and Mark Potter)