Miracle baby brings hope in Russia Oct 22, 2009
"The fact that this miracle happened here is a signal to us to take the lead and help our brothers and sisters find peace," said Sagid Murtazaliyev, head of the Kizlyar region about 95 miles north of Makhachkala, the sprawling Dagestani capital on the Caspian Sea. "We must not forget there is a war going on here," he told Muslim leaders who had invited the press to witness what they unequivocally claim is a sign from God. (MSNBC -- International)
'Sabotage' derails Georgian train Oct 22, 2009
It took place on a line between Senaki and the Black Sea port of Poti, one of two used to transport oil and gas to Europe from the Caspian Sea. There have been several recent blasts in the area, near breakaway Abkhazia. (BBC News -- Europe)
Wyo looks to global energy markets Oct 21, 2009
"China is also very interested as well in getting a hold of Caspian Sea oil," she said. "There's an exploding demand for motor vehicles within China, and crude oil prices are likely to take off rapidly" as a result, said Charles Mason, a UW economics professor specializing in oil and gas markets. (Casper Star-Tribune, WY)
Azerbaijan caviar protection bid Oct 19, 2009
Environmental groups in Azerbaijan say the government is not doing enough to tackle the illegal over-fishing of caviar stocks in the Caspian Sea ... For centuries, black caviar has been extracted from sturgeon, which live primarily in the Caspian Sea. (BBC News -- Europe)
John Pilger: Iran's nuclear threat is a lie Oct 15, 2009
" That Iran would contemplate a suicidal attack on the US is preposterous. The threat, as ever, is one-way, with the world's superpower virtually ensconced on Iran's borders.Iran's crime is its independence. Having thrown out America's favourite tyrant, Shah Reza Pahlavi, Iran remains the only resource-rich Muslim state beyond US control. As only Israel has a "right to exist" in the Middle East, the US goal is to cripple the Islamic Republic. This will allow Israel to divide and dominate the... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Obama Will Make Up Own Mind on Afghanistan Oct 7, 2009
The oil companies ordered their insurgents to make it look like the surge worked and they are now funding the Taliban because the Taliban were negotiating with the oil companies to run the pipeline from the Caspian Sea through Afghanistan. Think I am kidding. (CBS News)
France secures $6bn Kazakh deals Oct 7, 2009
The biggest deal was signed between Total and GDF Suez and Kazakh state energy firm Kazmunaigaz to develop the Khvalynskoye Caspian Sea gas field ... Meanwhile, construction consortium Spie Capag signed memorandums to build a pipeline that will link the giant Kashagan oil field to the Caspian Sea, circumventing Russian supply routes to Europe. (BBC News -- Asia-Pacific)
* Sarkozy looking to land big deals in Kazakhstan Oct 7, 2009
The pipeline will be part of a transport system to bring Kazakh oil to Europe, which analysts say would most likely take the form of tanker shipments across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, without transiting Russia ... 5 billion) to develop the Khvalinskoye gas field in the Caspian Sea. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Mystery at sea Oct 6, 2009
Even allowing for that miracle, all this sidesteps other big questions including how the supposed missiles would reach Iran from Algeria, and why crossing the Caspian Sea was not simpler. I have explored several alternative theories about the Arctic Sea, and interviewed dozens of people in many countries. (BBC News -- Africa)
A Soldier's Last Letter From Afghanistan Oct 6, 2009
Bush was angry because the Taliban were opposed to his oil and gas pipeline to the Caspian sea, and therefore used 9/11 as an excuse to topple the Taliban. Remember the original reason for going in was to hunt for Bin Laden. (CBS News)
Iran and the `Pipelineistan' Opera Oct 2, 2009
So if you're a NATO optimist, you hope that natural gas from the Caspian Sea, maybe even from Iran (barring the usual American blockade), will begin flowing through it by 2015 ... In addition, both Russia and Iran could well be capable of blocking any pipeline straddling the floor of the Caspian Sea. (CBS News)
Iran: Ready to Defy Sep 30, 2009
Current gasoline shipping across the Caspian Sea could be increased and rail shipments are possible. The former Soviet states have a vast series of rail interconnections that could transport gasoline to Iran in a matter of days. (Human Events Online)
Oil explorers drill through the tough times Sep 26, 2009
They are also dwarfed by the last enormous discovery, the Kashagan field in the Caspian Sea, discovered in 2000 and estimated to hold more than 20 billion barrels of oil. We have not seen another Kashagan, but still these finds are very material,'' said Alan Murray, the exploration service manager at Wood Mackenzie, a consulting firm in Edinburgh. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Russia plays pipeline politics Sep 25, 2009
For example, there is the big question of how to cross the Caspian Sea without clear agreements from bordering countries such as Russia and Iran. Once Nabucco is shipwrecked, South Stream may gain steam and look even more viable. (Asia Times Online)
Brazil's Lula Defends Iran's Ahmadinejad, Plans Visit to Tehran Next Year Sep 24, 2009
Ahmadinejad received the invitation after Brazil for the first time in 17 years sent its foreign minister to Tehran, and after its state-controlled oil company, , began exploration last year in the Iranian waters of the Caspian Sea. Trade between the countries quadrupled to $2 billion in 2007 from 2002. (Bloomberg -- Latin America)
Learning true facts about planet makes my head spin Sep 21, 2009
Later, I looked up Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts and found this online: "To the ancients, 'seven' often meant 'many,' and before the fifteenth century, the many seas of the world were: Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Persian Gulf, Black Sea, Adriatic Sea, Caspian Sea (and) Indian Ocean.". That didn't help, because except for Indian, those were not oceans at all -- and one was a gulf. (The Augusta Chronicle)
A dangerous new Afghan road opens Sep 18, 2009
The proposed central supply route circumvents both Pakistan and the Russian Federation and would consist of a time-consuming shipment of supplies from Georgia's Black Sea coast to Azerbaijan, across the Caspian Sea to the port of Turkmenbashi and south through the Karakum desert to Afghanistan's far northwest. This plan seemed feasible for all of its inherent geopolitical complications and variables (both Georgia and Azerbaijan do not control all of the their territory), but now the Taliban are... (Asia Times Online)
Cheney: Georgia will be in our alliance Sep 18, 2009
Azerbaijan, which borders Georgia and Iran and sits on the Caspian Sea, is an oil- and gas-rich nation and a key U.S. ally in the region. Cheney met with representatives of energy companies BP and Chevron and held talks with President Ilham Aliyev. (CNN -- International)
Four-way streetin Kazakhstan Sep 18, 2009
There was no published agenda for the quadrilateral meeting in Kenderly, against which the Iranian foreign minister issued a public protest at the exclusion of his country, the fifth Caspian Sea littoral state ... The site of the meeting, near the Caspian Sea port of Aqtau, may have carried its own message - Aqtau, by coincidence, or not, is becoming an important link in the west-to-east transmission of energy supplies from Asia to Europe ... Technically speaking, the attendees could even... (Asia Times Online)
From Moscow to Beijing: A journey from past to future Sep 13, 2009
Turkmenistan will establish a naval base on the Caspian Sea, the Central Asian nation's president said Monday - a move that could inflame disputes over the area's lucrative hydrocarbon fields. Addressing top security officials in televised remarks, President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov said a base will be built at the port city of Turkmenbashi to help "effectively fight smugglers, terrorists and any other forces.". (Fresno Bee -- Local)
Summit may reshapeCaspian bloc Sep 12, 2009
On September 11-13, the presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan will meet in the Kazakh city of Aktau, on the shores of the Caspian Sea. The fifth country with a Caspian coastline, Iran, will not be represented. (Asia Times Online)
World oil demand to resume growth in 2010: report Sep 10, 2009
A general view of an artificial island on Kashagan offshore oil field in the Caspian sea, western Kazakhstan August 11, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo). (Xinhuanet, China)
Russia's Troubled Caucasus: Five Years After Beslan Sep 5, 2009
North Ossetia indeed, the whole of the North Caucasus, between the Black Sea to the west and the Caspian Sea to the east was supposed to be tranquil, harmonious, subdued. But that's not what has happened. (Time.com)
Oceaneering wins BP work Sep 5, 2009
has been awarded a three-year contract from (Caspian Sea) Ltd. valued at $45 million. The Houston oilfield services company will provide corrosion and inspection management services for BP's onshore Sangachal Terminal and offshore production facilities in Azerbaijan, and export pipelines in both Azerbaijan and Georgia. (Houston Business Journal, TX)
Oceaneering Announces Corrosion and Inspection Management Services Contract Award Sep 4, 2009
HOUSTON, Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Oceaneering International, Inc. (NYSE: ) announced today that in June it obtained a corrosion and inspection management services contract from BP Exploration (Caspian Sea) Ltd. (BP) with estimated revenue of approximately $45 million over an initial three-year term. At the end of the initial term, BP has two consecutive options to extend the contract for a period of one year each. (PR Newswire)
Transneft Fights 27,000-Ton Oil Theft as Violence Surges in South Russia Sep 2, 2009
opened an office in Dagestan, between Chechnya and the Caspian Sea, and now has 700 guards along its 300-mile pipe after thieves stole 27,000 tons of oil last year, a record for the region, , Transnefts local chief, said in an interview ... The rest was sent by tanker across the Caspian Sea from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan and added to the pipe at Makhachkala. (Bloomberg -- Europe)
Young Afghan Freed from Gitmo to Sue U.S. Aug 28, 2009
"Nope, not at all. I oppose the US involving in anyone's business at all.Especially since those who were committing atrocities, in this case you cite the "Taliban", would not even exist if not for the US, whose CIA created them. The Afghanis themselves were kicking Russian tail, they did not need our interference, we only got involved because the corrupt multinational oil concerns wanted a Caspian sea pipeline we have never entered any conflict for humanitarian reasons. This is why ex- UNOCAL... (CBS News -- World)
Caspian is Big Oil's new frontier Aug 27, 2009
But for the oil industry Kashagan, the world's biggest discovery since 1968 with reserves locked amid lethal, high-pressure gases beneath the north Caspian Sea, is a challenge of biblical proportions ... One option is to ship it by tanker across the Caspian Sea to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline that runs to Europe. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Before Afghan Vote, Old Ally Vexes U.S. Aug 18, 2009
Bush can take his Caspian sea pipelline and shove it. To ToolMangler1. (CBS News)
Russia Poised Again To Fight Ge00004000orgia Aug 18, 2009
Some of these forces are strategically positioned near the critical Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan crude oil pipeline that connects oil fields in the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. Russia also garrisons several brigades of maneuver forces an hour north of the Roki tunnel, the route Moscow used to invade South Ossetia in 2008. (Human Events Online)
New Afghan strategy should be given time to be tested Aug 12, 2009
Friends, our involvement in Afghanistan is nothing but a thinly-veiled attempt to assure that oil from the Caspian Sea region can flow to the West ... In 1997 BBC News reported that the American Oil company UNOCAL tried to construct a pipeline from The Caspian Sea ... The Caspian Sea is a California-size body of salt water the world s largest landlocked body of water that may sit on as much as 200 billion barrels of oil, which would be 16 percent of the Earth s potential oil reserves. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
North Caucasus: At a glance Aug 12, 2009
It is also a conduit for oil exports from the Caspian Sea. It is sometimes known as the Mountain of Languages, or Mountain of Nationalities - with some national groups occupying no more than one or two villages. (BBC News -- Europe)
Putin Determined to Kill Me, Says Georgian President Aug 9, 2009
Saakashvili said that Mr Putin wanted to destroy Georgia to reassert control over the Caucasus region, the critical conduit for pipelines that bypass Russia and carry oil and gas from Central Asia and the Caspian Sea to Europe. FOX NEWS VIDEOS. (Fox News)
Marine Pest Species Costing Billions In Damage To Fisheries, Coastal Communities And Infrastructure Are Spreading Aug 7, 2009
In that time, the North American comb jellyfish that virtually wiped out the anchovy and sprat stocks in the Black Sea in the 1990s has been expanding in the Caspian Sea, North Sea and the Baltic Sea. The Chinese mitten crab has established itself on both sides of the north Atlantic and is estimated to have caused damage to river banks, fishing gear and industrial water systems to the tune of 80 million in Germany alone. (Science Daily)
Russia Accuses Georgia of Firing on South Ossetia, Threatens to Use Force Aug 2, 2009
The Black Sea country, a conduit for Caspian Sea energy to European markets that circumvents Russia, has been a recipient of U.S. aid and military training. Russian President flew to South Ossetia for an unannounced visit less than a week later. (Bloomberg -- Europe)
* FEATURE : Threat of war hangs over Georgian energy routes Aug 1, 2009
Georgia hosts major pipelines feeding oil and gas to Europe from the Caspian Sea, including BTC and gas counterpart Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum. It also has three major Black Sea ports X Batumi, Poti and Supsa X handling oil products and crude. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Business)
U.S. May Change Strategy in Afghanistan Aug 1, 2009
The whole debacle there is over an oil pipeline to the Caspian sea, and the extra war profiteering that goes with it. by pythoncharley July 31, 2009 2:29 PM EDT. (CBS News -- Politics)
Moscow market row strains Turkish ties Jul 30, 2009
Despite Ankara's signing this month of a treaty for the proposed Nabucco gas-pipeline, which the Kremlin has opposed as it would provide an alternative route bypassing Russia for Caspian Sea gas fed to Europe, Turkey is still pursuing joint investments with Russia in nuclear power, and other gas transportation projects. Turkish exports to Russia were damaged by the new customs regulations imposed by Russia prior to the Georgian war in August 2008. (Asia Times Online)
The Caspian boils again Jul 30, 2009
MONTREAL - Iran expects to deploy its first deepwater semi-submersible drilling rig in the Caspian Sea next month, following the conclusion that the country's shallow-water sector has no exploitable resources, according to hydrocarbon energy industry sources ... Tehran's only possible claim to the Araz-Sharg-Alov block would be its assertion that every Caspian Sea littoral state (comprising itself, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Russia) should have a 20% share of the seabed ... The... (Asia Times Online)
Crist, Cabinet OK deal to preserve Flagler farmland Jul 29, 2009
That land is part of a larger family farming operation in Flagler and Volusia counties that includes the rare practice of raising Caspian Sea sturgeon that produce caviar and meat. Officials said the Evans easement is the first project in the state's Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, which is designed to provide incentives for farmers to stay in the agriculture business and preserve land from development. (Daytona Beach News Journal)
Caspian dispute casts shadow over Nabucco Jul 29, 2009
The unexpected and sudden renewal of the Turkmen-Azerbaijani dispute over three hydrocarbon fields in the middle of the Caspian Sea is the latest setback to the European Union's Nabucco gas-pipeline project, less then a fortnight after a breakthrough agreement was signed by other countries involved in the pipeline ... Berdymukhammedov said the report showed that the impasse over the demarcation of the Caspian seabed between the two countries has remained unresolved "due to Azerbaijan's specific... (Asia Times Online)
Russia and Iran join hands Jul 29, 2009
This week, a small but significant clue is on full display with joint Russia-Iran military exercises in the Caspian Sea involving some 30 vessels ... The maneuver, dubbed "Regional Collaboration for a Secure and Clean Caspian", combines security and maritime objectives in the Caspian Sea, the world's largest lake and also a main energy hub that is now the scene of competing alternatives for energy transfer ... An important question deals with the possible ramifications of closer Russia-Iran... (Asia Times Online)
Tearing Down Old Kashgar: Another Blow to the Uighurs Jul 29, 2009
It was the first ever compendium of the Turkish language, the babble of tongues spoken by nomadic tribes who roamed between the shores of the Caspian Sea and the wastes of Siberia. Despite the scope of his work, Kashgari was proudest of his hometown, boasting that the Turkic dialect there was the "purest" and "most elegant" of them all. (Time.com)
Iran, China and the New Silk Road Jul 25, 2009
The New Silk Road translates into an energy corridor - the Asian Energy Security Grid - in which the Caspian Sea is an essential node, linked to the Persian Gulf, from where oil is to be transported to Asia. And as far as gas is concerned, the name of the game is Pipelineistan - as in the recently agreed Iran-Pakistan (IP) pipeline and the interconnection between Iran and Turkmenistan, whose end result is a direct link between Iran and China. (Asia Times Online)
Iran and Russia, scorpions in a bottle Jul 24, 2009
Iran and Russia share the same strategy as far as the Caspian Sea is concerned. They are in fact opposed to the new Caspian states - Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. (Asia Times Online)
Turkmens, RWE sign energy exploration deal Jul 17, 2009
European plans to bypass Russia which currently supplies the continent with around one quarter of its gas needs have focused on building a pipeline across the Caspian Sea an option that RWE is studying. Transporting Central Asian gas to Europe would also require construction of the Nabucco pipeline, a European-backed project that would connect eastern Turkey with European markets. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Business)
Turkmenistan signs landmark gas exploration deal Jul 17, 2009
Turkmenistan has signed a landmark deal granting Caspian Sea gas exploration and extraction rights to a member of the Nabucco pipeline consortium, state media reported ... The 3,300-kilometre (2,000-mile) pipeline is expected to pump as much as 31 billion cubic metres of gas from the Caspian Sea to Austria via Turkey and the Balkans, bypassing Russia. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Energy: He who pays for the pipelines calls the tune Jul 17, 2009
That would, however, require a new pipeline under the Caspian Sea, which would not only be costly and slow but also subject to objections from Russia and Iran (which would like to offer a land-based route instead). Russia is the only serious naval power in the Caspian. (The Economist)
Nabucco ink starts to flow Jul 16, 2009
MONTREAL - The signing this week of a transit agreement to govern the Nabucco natural gas pipeline marks an important staging post in bringing to reality the long-touted energy route, which is projected to run 3,300 kilometers from the Caspian Sea region to Europe ... Turkmenistan recently declared that it was also ready to do supply gas, and indeed Turkmenistan already supplies gas through interconnections with Azerbaijani rigs in the Caspian sea that flow on into an international network... (Asia Times Online)
The Point of Putin's Tehran Trip Jul 16, 2009
Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Caspian Sea summit in Tehran, Iran. Behrouz Mehri / AFP / Getty. (Time.com)
ExxonMobil's Algae Exploration Jul 16, 2009
Exxon was also late getting into Russia and onto the Caspian Sea in the 1990s, for instance, watching as rivals slugged it out to obtain oil and natural gas properties. The company eventually secured prize properties, in a couple of cases by buying in through merger. (BusinessWeek)
Pipeline deal is sweet music for Iran Jul 15, 2009
Moscow had calculated that Nabucco wouldn't materialize since it would entail the construction of a pipeline from Turkmenistan along the bottom of the Caspian Sea, which, as a littoral state, it could easily veto in alliance with Iran. Evidently, Turkmenistan and Tehran have another idea: transport Turkmen gas to Europe via existing Iranian pipelines to Turkey. (Asia Times Online)
Europe Tries to Break Its Russian Gas Habit Jul 14, 2009
But if completed as planned by 2015, the line could bring up to 31 billion cu m of gas a year from the Caspian Sea and the Middle East across Turkey and into Europe ... Turkmenistan, with the world's fourth largest reserves of natural gas, would be an ideal source for Nabucco, but it would need a pipeline under the Caspian Sea, where there is as yet no seabed agreement. (Time.com)
Turkmenistan builds its own Vegas Jul 14, 2009
The Avaza resort on the Caspian Sea symbolizes some of these conflicts ... Alexander Zemlianichenko / APFireworks burst above a portrait of Turkmen President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov during a concert marking the opening ofthe new resort on the Caspian Sea coast, near the port city of Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan, on June 15. (MSNBC -- International)
Nabucco Pipeline Gets Turkish Assent Jul 14, 2009
The 3,300-kilometer pipeline is expected to run between the Caspian Sea region and Austria, crossing Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. Ankara, for its part, wanted to take 15 percent of the gas flowing through Nabucco at a discounted price for internal consumption or even for re-exportation, but was not granted this. (BusinessWeek)
Hot or cold? Jul 14, 2009
This is an important development in the commercial development of Caspian Sea gas and will help demand from the gas pipeline recently built from the Caspian sea to the Turkish border with Georgia. Ian Jackson-Reeves, London, UK. (BBC News -- Europe)
Will Nabucco pipeline deal free Europe from Russian gas? Jul 14, 2009
Today's European Union-Turkey deal to begin building the 2,000-mile Nabucco gas pipeline from the Caspian Sea to Austria reducing Europe's dependency on Russia means investors can legally move on a project that has been much more talked about than acted on since 2002. But many milestones remain in the great geopolitical game over energy from the Caucasus and Central Asia many involving the Russian bear. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Reclusive Turkmenistan Cracks Open The Door Jul 13, 2009
Turkmenistan's New Caspian Sea Resort Seen As Open Door By Some, Boondoggle By Others ... The Avaza resort on the Caspian Sea symbolizes some of these conflicts. (CBS News -- World)
Turkey, EU countries to sign gas pipeline deal Jul 13, 2009
ANKARA, Turkey (AP): Turkey and five European Union countries will sign a landmark agreement on Monday aimed at reducing Europe's reliance on Russian energy by running a gas pipeline from the Caspian Sea region to the EU via Turkey ... The 2,050-mile (3,300 kilometer) projected pipeline would run from the Caspian Sea across Turkey to Austria and involves investments of euro8 billion ($10. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- News)
EU nations, Turkey to sign key gas pipeline deal Jul 13, 2009
Backers hope the 3,300-kilometre (2,000-mile) pipeline will one day pump as much as 31 billion cubic metres of gas from the Caspian Sea to Austria via Turkey and the Balkans, bypassing Russia. A quarter of all natural gas used in Europe currently comes from Russia. (Yahoo! Asia News)
Energy fuels new 'Great Game' Jul 13, 2009
And Moscow itself is now openly saying that competition for energy supplies in areas including Central Asia and the Caspian Sea could lead to military conflicts along its borders over the next decade. A security strategy document, published in May, was signed by the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. (BBC News -- Business)
Dems sweating small stuff... Jul 10, 2009
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has banned imports of Beluga Caviar and other beluga products from the Caspian Sea since October 6, 2005 ... The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has banned imports of Beluga Caviar and other beluga products from the Caspian Sea since October 6, 2005. (The Drudge Report)
Meanwhile, in Iran... Jul 10, 2009
Location: CA Reply # 1 Date: Jul 10, 2009 - 3:06 AM EST Oh, for crying out loud Okay, credit where credit is due: congratulations on abandoning your original plan to put supply ships in the Caspian Sea. As for the rest. (Townhall.com)
Cells Use Import Machinery To Export Their Goods As Well Jul 9, 2009
(June 4, 2008) In a decision that could jeopardize already imperiled sturgeons, more caviar will be exported from Caspian Sea and Amur River states this year as a result of unacceptably permissive new trade quotas. (Jan. (Science Daily)
Obama's Push for Caspian Energy Routes Imperiled by Azeri Refugee Struggle Jul 9, 2009
And his fate may help determine whether Obama can fulfill the U.S. goal of creating a secure and non-Russian route to the West for oil and gas from the Caspian Sea ... A deal would remove the risk of renewed fighting that could cut off the flow of Caspian Sea oil and gas to the West, as happened during the Russia-Georgia war last year, said , an official at Azerbaijans foreign ministry. (Bloomberg)
