Baku–Novorossiysk Pipeline

After the Contract of the Century was signed in 1994, exporting crude oil from Azerbaijan became a key priority. Agreements with Russia and Georgia led to the development of two main routes to the Black Sea: the Northern and Western routes. The Baku–Novorossiysk Pipeline follows the northern route.
The Azerbaijani section (231 km) was completed in 1996, while the Russian section (1,116 km) was originally built in 1983. In 1995–1996, the route was adjusted at a cost of $60 million. The pipeline officially began operations on October 25, 1997, spanning a total length of 1,347 km.
Key technical details:

• Diameter: 720 mm
• Annual capacity: 6 million tons (~105,000 barrels/day)
• Pumping stations: Sangachal, Sumgayit, Siyazan
• Measuring station: Shirvanovka
• Starting point: Sangachal Terminal (4 tanks, 25,000 barrels each)
• Endpoint: Port of Novorossiysk (capacity 34 million tons/year)

By January 1999, just over a year after opening, 1.5 million tons of oil had been transported. Exports grew annually, reaching 4.1 million tons in 2005. Oil from Novorossiysk is shipped to countries including Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, France, and Spain.
Although the Baku–Supsa (1999) and Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (2006) pipelines offered more cost-effective alternatives, the Baku–Novorossiysk route remains an important part of Azerbaijan’s oil export network.