Turkish vessel to begin deep-sea drilling in Black Sea

The seismic detection vessel "Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa," belonging to the Turkish Petroleum Corporation, has started to conduct deep-sea drilling and seismic exploration of oil and natural gas resources in Samsun, Ordu and Giresun in the Black Sea.

The Turkish Petroleum Corporation, which is a subsidiary of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, has begun natural gas and oil exploration in the Black Sea. The ship Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa which anchored in the Samsun Port harbor on Saturday and received logistic support, started to conduct research on Samsun, Ordu and Giresun offshore. Moreover, onboard the vessel, which will conduct research for three months in the region, are 44 crew members, including mostly researchers.

Two weeks ago, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak announced that Turkey plans to perform deep-sea drilling and seismic exploration of oil and natural gas resources in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. "As of 2017, we are starting to search for energy resources in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. We are planning to dedicate two vessels to the drilling process," Albayrak said at the IHS CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, Texas.

Albayrak noted that surveys, which are currently operated by the Hayrettin Paşa Seismic Exploration Ship, will be upgraded with another ship, saying: "With the second ship being launched, Turkey will actively conduct its exploration activities in multiple dimensions and with more advanced capabilities," Albayrak added. Stating that Turkey has entered a new phase of development with significant changes in energy, investments and steps being taken, Albayrak said they, as the Ministry, have recently accelerated steps regarding oil and gas exploration. "Especially this year, we will take important steps to address exploration and drilling issues, particularly in the Black and Mediterranean Seas," Albayrak said, adding that with a second vessel coming on the heels of the first seismic survey vessel Barbaros Hayrettin, Turkey will launch exploration in both the Mediterranean and Black Sea, also conducting more active two-dimensional and three-dimensional seismic explorations in both seas.

Albayrak emphasized that more than 60 percent of the world's oil and natural gas resources are located in Turkey's region, noting that the country is entering a new era and taking significant steps in making new investments in energy.