Azerbaijan boosts oil output in Jan-Sept by 8.5 pct

BAKU, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Azerbaijan's crude oil production rose by 8.5 percent in January-September, year-on-year, to 37.82 million tonnes, thanks to rising output from a BP-led (BP.L) group AIOC, the State Statistics Committee said on Wednesday.

The AIOC boosted its output from the Chirag, Azeri and Guneshli oilfields to 31.5 million tonnes, 10.7 percent up from the level seen in the first nine months of 2008.

The rest was produced by the Azeri state oil firm SOCAR and some of its enterprises.

Ex-Soviet Azerbaijan ships its oil via four main routes -- Russia's largest Black Sea port, Novorossiisk, neighbouring Georgia's Supsa and Batumi ports, and Turkey's Ceyhan.

It exported 32.0 million tonnes in January-September 2009, the State Custom Committee said. It did not provide comparison with the same period last year.

Azerbaijan expected to raise its oil production this year to over 50.0 million tonnes from 44.5 million tonnes in 2008. (Reporting by Lada Yevgrashina; writing by Margarita Antidze in Tbilisi)