From RUSSIA TODAY..."

Azerbaijan's Aioc Oil Production Unaffected By Y2K

MOSCOW, Jan 2, 2000 -- (Reuters) The BP Amoco - led Azerbaijan International Operating Company, the largest foreign oil consortium in Azerbaijan, has suffered no problems from the millennium bug, a spokeswoman said on Saturday.

"Everything is normal, production, transport and export operations are normal," Tamam Bayatly told Reuters by telephone from Baku.

"We are producing about 115,000 to 120,000 barrels per day and exporting all the oil at the moment via the western pipeline (to the Georgian Black Sea port of Supsa), which is working at its full capacity."

She said most senior management were away from Azerbaijan on holiday but the skeleton staff on duty were seeing no unusual problems.

[ENDS]

-- John Whitley (jwhitley@inforamp.net), January 02, 2000