Turkey aims to release the first crude oil coming from the Caspian Sea through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline in December, a senior Energy Ministry official told Reuters yesterday. The first crude was pumped into the 1,770-kilometer (1,106-mile) pipeline at Baku in May, but the size of the pipe means the oil only crossed into Georgia in August. But technical problems have still delayed the first batch, which was planned for October 27. “There have been some delays, but we are working to have the first loading at Ceyhan at a big ceremony in December,” said the official, who declined to be named. A total of 10 million barrels of crude oil is required to fill the pipe, which will supply 1 million barrels per day to European markets. The pipeline is owned by a consortium led British oil major BP Plc and includes Azeri state oil firm SOCAR, US oil firm Unocal, Norway’s Statoil, Italy’s ENI, France’s Total, Japan’s Itochu and INPEX, ConocoPhillips and Amerada Hess. The Turkish Energy Ministry official said talks continued with the consortium to iron out the problems. “There won’t be any big delays,” he said. “There are many things that need to be done, from telecommunications to environmental work. Also, when the oil arrives, testing will start, and that will also take time.”