Turkey Receives New Drillship for Med

Turkey's energy minister Fatih Donmez told state TV TRT February 8 that a second drillship will arrive in Turkey February 20 in order to drill in the Mediterranean Sea.

Turkey’s first such vessel, Fatih, started operations in  the eastern Mediterranean near Antalya October 30 2018 and the first well has reportedly reached a depth of 5,500 metres in the Mersin basin. The Fatih is preparing to drill a new well, the location still not announced. "The two ships will drill four wells this year, between them,” Donmez said.

State TPAO conducted seismic surveying within areas of the eastern Mediterranean in 2017 that are claimed as part of the Republic of Cyprus's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). However, an industry source told NGW it would not be drilling in any Turkish area disputed by neighbouring states.

Donmez also said that last year about 110 exploration wells were drilled in the country and a small-sized gas deposit was discovered. “The size of reserves -- discovered by the Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha seismic survey vessel in the Black Sea, in the Thrace region -- is not insignificant, but small,” he said. 

This year, the plan is to drill 180 wells, of which 130 wells would be drilled by Turkish Petroleum and the rest by the private sector.