Samsun-Ceyhan pipe gets nod
Turkey's Council of Ministers has approved Eni's plans to build the Samsun-Ceyhan crude pipeline, linking the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.
The Samsun-Ceyhan pipeline will be built by Eni and Turkey's Calik Enerji after the project is ratified by Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, the Italian company said today.
The pipeline, with a projected capacity to transport more than 1 million barrels per day, would extend 560 kilometres through Turkey from the Black Sea port of Samsun to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, avoiding the crowded Bosporus shipping lane.
The pipeline would solve a distribution problem for Eni, which is the lead operator on the giant Kashagan oilfield in the north Caspian Sea.
"Eni and Calik intend to continue their co-operation until the completion of the project," Eni said.
"The partnership will also be open to third parties interested in the project, such as oil operators and traders."