Nicosia, Oct 23, Iaonnis Solomou : The Trans Anatolian Pipeline Company (TAPCO) has announced that it will change the route of the company's planned crude oil pipeline from the Black Sea port of Samsun to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan.

The new route will run from Unye to Yumurtalik and will allow the flow of crude from Russia and the Caspian region to the Mediterranean Sea, without passing the heavily congested Bosphorus Straits.

The previous route, which was 550 kilometres long, will now be shorter by some 100 kilometres. Furthermore, Unye will allow larger offshore facilities than what could be build at Samsun.

The Trans Anatolian Pipeline is a joint venture between Turkey's Calik Energy, Italy's Eni and India's IOC. According to preliminary estimates it will cost between
1.5 to 2 billion dollars and will have the capacity to transport 1 million barrels of crude a day.

It should be recalled that Calik Energy and IOC have been give the green light to build a 300,000 barrels a day refinery in Ceyhan at a cost of about 4.9 billion dollars.

According to the Turkish press, the pipeline will run from Unye, through Akkus, Niksa, Tokat, Ylideizeli, Sarkisla, Pinarbasi, Sariz, Tufanbeyli, Saimbeyli, Feke, Kozan, Sumbas, Kardirli, Ceyhan and Yumurtalik.

The government of Turkey fully subscribes to the idea put forward by Turkish oil company Botas to turn the port of Ceyhan in Eastern Mediterranean into an energy terminal and oil market and operations centre like Amsterdam. It also plans to build a big refinery at Ceyhan, which is the terminal of the dual crude pipelines bringing Iraqi oil to the Mediterranean. (ANI)