SOCAR overhauls site in Caspian Sea

By Azernews

By Sara Israfilbayova

Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR has relaunched a near-platform pad #1778 on the offshore field Oil Rocks following its overaul.

The company reported that overhaul covered the area of 783 square meters.

Some 33 piles were hammered in, assembling of the electrical system was implemented, 40 piles were blocked, and 110 meters of water lines were laid.

The Oil Rocks was discovered in 1949. An industrial settlement 100 miles off the coast of Baku, the Oil Rocks is a complete town on the sea. The first oil platform in Azerbaijan, the Oil Rocks was also the first operating offshore oil platform in the world.

By the end of 2016 almost 1 million tons of oil was extracted from the field.

The forecast for oil production in the country in 2017 stands at 39.797 million, while the figure is 3.7 percent lower than the index of 2016.

SOCAR produced 7.52 million tons of oil in 2016 against 8.16 million tons produced in 2015.

SOCAR includes such production associations as Azneft (the enterprises producing oil and gas onshore and offshore), Azerikimya (the chemical enterprises) and Azerigas (distributor of gas produced in the country), as well as oil and gas processing plants, service companies, and the facilities involved in geophysical and drilling operations.

The company participates in joint ventures (including ventures in Georgia and Turkey), consortia, and operating companies established with SOCAR’s participation.

Currently, SOCAR is the only producer of petroleum products in the country, and operates more than 370 petrol stations in Switzerland, Georgia, Romania and Ukraine.