Fatih on course for first Black Sea deep drilling

İZMİR- Anadolu Agency

Turkey's first drillship, Fatih, set sail from Istanbul’s Haydarpaşa Port for a drilling mission in the Black Sea, Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez said on May 29.

Speaking at the send-off ceremony, the minister said that Fatih's 103-meter long towers were disassembled in Haydarpaşa port to enable the vessel for safe passage under the bridges through the Bosphorus and is projected to
reach Trabzon in northeastern Turkey on June 1 to be reassembled.

"After completing nearly 1.5 months preparation period, Fatih will start its first drilling in the Black Sea in the Tuna-1 location in mid-July," Dönmez said.

Turkey will continue to carry on offshore exploration studies which are vital for the country's energy independence, he added.

"Yavuz continues its operations in Selcuklu-1 location in the Mediterranean Sea, which marks the 7th deep drilling activity that is conducted in the area. Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa and Oruç Reis seismic vessels are also exploring our seas," he said.

Turkey, as a guarantor nation for the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, currently carries out hydrocarbon exploration activities in the Eastern Mediterranean with its drilling vessel Yavuz along with two other seismic vessels, Oruç Reis and Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa, that are also operating in the region.

Turkey's third drillship, Kanuni, arrived in Taşucu, Mersin, a coastal city in the Mediterranean region of the country on March 15.

Following the completion of renewal and upgrade studies, Kanuni is also projected to start operations in the Mediterranean Sea this year, according to Dönmez.

The country plans to conduct five drills in the Eastern Mediterranean this year, according to Turkey's Annual Presidential Program for 2020.

"Our two seismic and two drilling vessels will continue to work in the Eastern Mediterranean at full capacity. With Fatih's sail to the Black Sea, we now bridged the most important gap," the energy minister said.

New exploration in Eastern Mediterranean within 3-4 months

On Nov. 27, Ankara and Libya’s U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) signed two separate pacts, one that encompasses military cooperation and the other maritime boundaries of the two countries in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The maritime pact asserted Turkey's rights in the Eastern Mediterranean in the face of unilateral drilling by the Greek Cypriot administration, clarifying that the TRNC also has rights to the resources in the area. It went into effect on Dec. 8.

Dönmez said that under this pact, Turkish Petroleum- Turkey's national oil company- has applied for drilling activities in country's licensed areas.

"Within the next 3-4 months, our first activities here are forecast to start," Dönmez said and added that seismic studies will be conducted and later the exploration areas will be determined depending on the analysis of seismic data.