Fatih vessel to conduct exploration activities in new location in Black Sea

İSTANBUL

The Fatih drilling vessel will carry out exploration activities near the Türkiye-Bulgaria exclusive economic zone, south of the Sakarya Gas Field in the Black Sea, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has announced.

The Fatih drilling ship found natural gas in June 2021 in the Black Sea.

Bayraktar, who visited the Filyos Natural Gas Processing Plant on Dec. 31, was briefed on the drilling ship.

The Fatih vessel completed regular maintenance and certification process and will set sail for a new mission, the minister told reporters.

The Yavuz, Kanuni and Abdülhamid Han vessels are working to increase production in the Sakarya Gas Field, Bayraktar said, adding that the Oruç Reis vessel is currently conducting seismic activities off the coast of Somalia.

The Oruç Reis vessel arrived in Somali in October last year for oil and gas exploration in three areas where Türkiye has secured exploration licenses.

They aim to complete the first phase in the Sakarya Gas Field by increasing production from 7 million cubic meters to over 9 million cubic meters in the first quarter of 2025, Bayraktar also said.

He noted that the gas extracted from this field meets the needs of approximately 3 million households in Türkiye.

The floating production facility will go to the Sakarya Gas Field in June 2026, where it will produce gas for 20 years, he added.