The first batch of crude oil from the giant Kashagan oil field off the coast of Kazakhstan has been processed and is destined for exports, an operator said. “North Caspian project operator, the North Caspian Operating Co., announces that, as an intermediate objective in its start-up and commissioning activities, it has commenced production from the Kashagan Phase 1 offshore project, and the onshore processing plant has dispatched the first batch of crude oil destined for export,” the company said in a statement . Low crude oil prices, about 50 percent less than when Kazakhstan’s economy was more robust two years ago, and contractions in trading partners China and Russia […]