Kazakhstan is seeking to sell some crude oil through Azerbaijan's biggest pipeline from next month as it seeks alternative routes to one that Russia has threatened to shut down.
Reports indicate Kazmunaigaz, Kazakhstan's state oil company, has been in contact with the trading arm of Azerbaijan's state firm, Socar, about allowing 1.5mln tonnes of Kazakh crude to be sold through the Azerbaijani pipeline that delivers oil to Ceyhan, Turkey's Mediterranean port.
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline flows are expected to begin a month after the final contract is signed end-August.
Supsa, Georgia's Black Sea port, is also set to receive another 3.5mln tonnes per year of Kazakh crude in 2023 through another Azerbaijani pipeline.
Kazakhstan exports more than 1% of the world's oil, or 1.4mln barrels per day (bpd).
Through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline, they have been shipped to Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiisk for 20 years, but Russian courts threatened to shut down the CPC in July, prompting Kazakh producers and the government to establish contracts for other outlets.