UPDATE 1-BP Azerbaijan declares force majeure on crude loadings from Turkey's Ceyhan port - sources

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By Julia Payne and Ahmad Ghaddar

LONDON/BAKU Feb 8 (Reuters) -

BP Azerbaijan has declared force majeure on loadings of Azeri crude from the Turkish port of Ceyhan, after a series of earthquakes on Monday, two trade sources said on Wednesday.

BP Azerbaijan, which operates the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, declined to comment on the force majeure.

The pipeline is working but loadings from of Azeri crude are not being shipped from the BTC terminal in Ceyhan, a company spokesperson said.

BP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Azerbaijan uses the Turkish port of Ceyhan as its main crude export hub, with a flow of about 650,000 barrels per day (bpd).

The BTC terminal was initially expected to resume on Feb. 8 or 9, shipping and trading sources told Reuters earlier in the week, as damage at the terminal was being assessed. A shipping agent said the control room at the terminal had been damaged. (Reporting by Julia Payne and Ahmad Ghaddar in London, additional reporting by Ron Bousso in London and Nailia Bagirova in Baku, writing by Rowena Edwards in London; Editing by Louise Heavens)

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