Global changes in the global political life at the end of the 20th century brought to the independence of many countries including Azerbaijan. With its huge natural resources and favorable geographical position, Azerbaijan has managed to attract the world attention from the first years of its independence. Achievement of relevant positions on the global scale by Azerbaijan, as one of the major elements of the country’s national security, has set new demands before the oil strategy, including in the sphere of oil transportation. The system of oil transportation has acquired a peculiar significance in the new oil strategy laid by national leader, Heydar Aliyev.

The development of oil industry in Azerbaijan and application of specific transportation for different oil brands to the oil refineries have created a ground for establishment of a separate organization for oil transportation. The Oil pipelines department has currently turned into a major specialized organization to ensure transportation of Azerbaijani oil to the Baku oil refineries and Russia.

As a structural unit of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), the Oil Pipelines Department incorporates the departments of oil transportation, export pipelines, transport, as well as the material and technical procurement base.

The department is mainly engaged in receipt of oil brands from the oil and gas producing structures of SOCAR, joint ventures, its storage, transportation and further delivery to the consumers.

The Oil Pipelines Department is currently operating underground and overland main pipelines of various diameters, sections of oil transportation and delivery, oil transshipment points and transformers, air power distribution lines, cable power distribution lines, various pumping aggregates and reservoir parks, the moorings aimed at receipt and transshipment of oil supplied on tankers from the Caspian Sea.

After signing of the agreement on exploration, development and production sharing  of Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli fields to ensure transportation of ‘early oil’ from these fields on 20 September 1994, it was decided to use the Grozny-Baku oil pipeline built in 1983 for transportation of Western Siberian oil to Baku oil refineries. Construction of a new section to the Russian port of Novorossiysk and reconstruction of the old pipeline had been held before that. In line with the agreement signed on 16 February 1996 ‘On rules of operation and potential capacity of transportation of pipeline’ between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC) and contractor companies, AIOC carried out operations for transportation of oil in the northern direction in 1996-2008. Meanwhile, the Oil Pipelines department has been successfully implementing the export of crude oil.

A modern chemical laboratory is functioning on the section of oil transportation of the Oil Pipelines Department for checking the standard compliance. And in order to ensure control over oil transportation on main pipelines, the system of automatic control is being introduced on the sections of oil transportation and measuring points of the department. Currently the control over transportation of export oil by the Northern export pipeline is carried via an automated control system.

Special attention is paid to protection of main pipelines and reservoirs from external and internal corrosion. For this purpose, special devices check the technical state of the pipelines and integrity of isolation, take action to clean the interior of the pipelines and reservoirs of residuals, as well as hold works to provide the system of electrochemical protection of pipelines and reservoirs with modern equipment.

The department also focuses on ecology as one of the main spheres of modern life. Here, a special attention is paid to progressive measures to ensure environmental protection and safety.

The employees of the Oil Pipelines Department are enjoying all conditions for comfortable work and recreation. A number of measures have been prepared for raising the producing potential and relevant projects are being implemented.

The staff of the Oil Pipelines Department will continue their successful activity to promote the implementation of Azerbaijan’s oil strategy.