Turkey now officially boasts a fleet of four drilling ships as the latest and most advanced of the vessels reached its destination on Thursday, an addition that comes ahead of new hydrocarbon explorations planned in the Eastern Mediterranean in the coming months.
Acquired in November last year, the seventh-generation vessel joins Turkey’s fleet consisting of the Fatih, Kanuni and Yavuz, all sixth-generation ships purchased in recent years.
Having departed from the Okpo Port in South Korea on March 7, the ship completed its two-month journey and arrived at its destination in the Taşucu Port in the southern province of Mersin on Thursday, the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry said on Twitter.
Currently called "Cobalt Explorer," the ship will be renamed and will undergo a painting process and other controls during its two-month stay in the Mediterranean province, as it prepares for its maiden hydrocarbon exploration.
Equipped with advanced technology and capable of operating in harsh sea conditions and even high-pressure reservoirs, the drillship is expected to start its activities this summer in a drilling task in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Operated by the state energy company Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), the ship can operate at a maximum depth of 3,665 meters (12,024 feet).
The 238-meter-long and 42-meter-wide vessel weighs 68,000 gross tons and has a maximum drilling depth of 12,200 meters. It has a tower height of 104 meters and a crew capacity of 200.
Part of the national policy to advance technology and use local equipment for energy projects, the purchase reinforces Turkey’s intention to add pace to its hydrocarbon exploration activities.
The Yavuz drillship last month set sail for its first operation in the renowned Türkali-2 well in the Black Sea, while the first vessel Fatih in February started drilling its third exploratory well in the Sakarya gas field.
In addition to the Black Sea, Turkey is also carrying out exploration activities in the Mediterranean Sea. It also has two seismic research ships, the Oruç Reis and Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa.
Located some 150 kilometers (93 miles) off the coast of Turkey in the Black Sea, the Sakarya gas field is home to the country’s largest-ever natural gas discovery. Fatih has discovered 540 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas there since August 2020.
The size of the discovery is said to be enough to meet household demand for 30 years. Ankara aims to start pumping gas from the field to its main grid in 2023, with sustained plateau production starting in 2027 or 2028.
The country in January started delivering the pipes that will be used for the pipeline beneath the Black Sea to bring the gas onshore.
Scheduled to be constructed this year, the pipeline that will stretch around 170 kilometers will connect the wells in the region to the main grid.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez last month said the process of delivery of the deepwater pipes to the Port of Filyos in the northern Black Sea province of Zonguldak would be completed by July. The pipelaying is projected to start in July or August.