Türkiye's newest deep-sea drilling vessel has departed a northern port for its first operational assignment in the Black Sea, the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry said on Friday.
Named Yıldırım, the vessel will begin work at the Türkali-16 well, where it is expected to carry out lower completion operations as part of ongoing offshore natural gas development efforts in the region.
The latest addition to Türkiye's growing energy fleet, Yıldırım arrived late last year as part of efforts to expand the country's energy independence through domestic offshore exploration and production.
It was one of the two new vessels that increased the number of Türkiye's drillships to six, making it the fourth in the world in terms of deep-sea energy fleet.
After arriving in the southern port of Mersin’s Taşucu terminal, Yıldırım was decorated with Turkish flags before departing for Filyos on Jan. 21. It transited through the Çanakkale and Bosporus straits and reached Filyos Port a week later.
Following its arrival, the vessel's 1,010-ton drilling tower, previously dismantled to allow passage through the straits, was reinstalled at the port. Subsequent testing and commissioning operations were conducted on drilling, vessel and subsea systems, after which the ship was declared ready for operations.
With the deployment of Yıldırım, the number of Turkish deep-sea drilling vessels operating in the Black Sea has increased to five, including Fatih, Yavuz, Kanuni and Abdülhamid Han.
The expanded fleet is expected to further strengthen Türkiye's exploration and production capabilities in the Black Sea, where the country is continuing offshore natural gas development efforts.
The fleet also includes 11 support vessels, one construction ship and one floating production platform.
Yıldırım is scheduled to begin its first active operation on May 20, focusing on completion works at the Türkali-16 well.
Built in South Korea in 2024, the vessel is classified as a seventh-generation ultra-deepwater drilling ship capable of operating at depths of up to 12,000 meters. It measures 228 meters in length and 42 meters in width, and includes a helicopter landing pad and accommodation facilities for up to 200 personnel.
The Black Sea is home to the Sakarya field, estimated to contain 710 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas.
The reserve was gradually discovered between 2020 and 2022. It will meet approximately 30% of Türkiye's annual gas needs once the production reaches total capacity. The Sakarya field accounted for about 6.6% of Türkiye's 53 bcm gas consumption last year, according to calculations.
In mid-May, Türkiye announced the discovery of a new reserve of 75 bcm in the Black Sea.
Daily output at the Sakarya field stands at around 10 million cubic meters (mcm), enough to supply 4 million households. Production is expected to double in 2026, when Türkiye's first floating gas production platform, Osman Gazi, becomes operational in the second half of the year.
A second, higher-capacity floating production platform is scheduled to come online in 2028, allowing Türkiye to complete the first three phases of the Sakarya project and meet the gas needs of 17 million households. The output is expected to eventually reach 40 mcm a day.
Türkiye, which imports over 90% of its energy needs, is pushing to cut its import bill and boost supply security by developing domestic resources and expanding international partnerships in oil and gas exploration.
