Kanuni vessel preparing to start drilling in Black Sea

ISTANBUL-Anadolu Agency

Turkey's Kanuni drillship will start drilling work in the Black Sea, said the country's energy and natural resources minister on Sept. 13.

"The countdown has begun. Our fleet, the symbol of our energy independence in our seas, will become stronger with its new member," Fatih Dönmez said on Twitter.

He said Kanuni, whose preparations are continuing, will start drilling in the Black Sea. Kanuni drillship is Turkey's third drilling ship.

Last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that the country's drillship Fatih found some 320 billion cubic meters (11.3 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas in the Black Sea.