Kazakhstan Diversifies Oil Exports to Singapore and Azerbaijan
Kazakhstan significantly increased crude oil exports to Singapore and is expanding pipeline shipments through Azerbaijan to diversify its global trade routes.
The Government of Kazakhstan is aggressively diversifying its crude oil export routes following temporary intake restrictions imposed by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium in July 2026. This strategic shift has resulted in a surge of shipments to Asia and the Caucasus.
Between January and August 2026, Kazakhstan increased crude oil and bituminous mineral product exports to Singapore by more than 2.6 times. Export volumes rose to 2.2 million tonnes, with the total value surging 227.17% to $1.26 billion. Singapore now ranks as the seventh-largest buyer of Kazakh crude oil, accounting for 4.68% of the country's total oil export volume.
Simultaneously, the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan is expanding its use of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. Exports via this route reached 1.32 million tonnes in the first 10 months of 2026, with a target of 1.6 million tonnes for the full year and 1.7 million tonnes in 2027. The Government of Azerbaijan has indicated it can receive up to 2.2 million tonnes of Kazakh oil annually to support these efforts.
Despite these targeted increases, Kazakhstan's total crude oil exports decreased slightly by 3.65% to 46.96 million tonnes during the first eight months of 2026. However, the total value of those exports grew by 16.31% to $30.09 billion, contributing to a total foreign trade turnover of $102.96 billion.
