Türkiye is bolstering its energy security through its exploratory missions in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Saturday.

While Europe frets about the coming winter, Türkiye is "already carrying out strategic studies to ensure our energy supply security," Erdoğan said at an event in the central Çorum province.

Türkiye’s Abdulhamid Han drillship set off for its first two-month mission in the Mediterranean this week.

It will drill exploration wells in the Eastern Mediterranean, while two other ships, the Yavuz and Kanuni, continue drilling operations in the Black Sea.

The latest addition to the fleet is a seventh-generation vessel and one of five worldwide with the capability of drilling to depths of up to 12,200 meters (over 40,000 feet).

"I believe the Abdulhamid Han will bring good news for our nation, just like our discovery of 540 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas in the Black Sea," Erdoğan said.

From the moment we start extracting natural gas, this country "will be different and much stronger," he added.

Earlier this week, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez said Türkiye will be ready to use natural gas from its Black Sea discovery by next March.

Against the background of the global energy crisis plaguing particularly Europe, Dönmez said no disruptions to gas supply are expected this winter in Türkiye, provided suppliers comply with their shipment plans.

Located around 150 kilometers (93.2 miles) off the country’s coast in the Black Sea, the Sakarya gas field is home to Türkiye’s largest-ever natural gas discovery.

Construction is also ongoing on an onshore gas processing facility at the port of Filyos in the northern province of Zonguldak.

The Black Sea discovery refers to the natural gas find of around 540 bcm in the offshore Sakarya Gas Field.

The country’s drillship, Fatih, discovered 405 bcm of gas in July 2020, followed by a second discovery of 135 bcm in June 2021.