BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- BP is defending the newly opened BTC oil pipeline amid criticism corrosion could create an environmental catastrophe in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.
BP Azerbaijan spokeswoman Tamam Bayatli said the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline was constructed by international standards as well as those whose country it passes through, Itar-Tass reports.
The pipeline is the major transporter of Caspian Sea oil to international ports.
Bayatli was responding to the global environmental group Platform's claims corrosion in the pipeline was a real threat.
The mechanisms, technologies and processes which we employed during the construction of the BTC give us grounds to say with confidence that this pipeline will be safely and effectively used in the course of 40 years," Bayatli said.
BP is getting major scrutiny after it announced Aug. 6 major corrosion and small leaks in 16 miles of pipelines to be replaced in Alaska.
