Türkiye's fourth drill ship sets off to Mediterranean for gas exploration

Türkiye's new seventh-generation drill ship will operate off the coast of Antalya province in the Mediterranean for hydrocarbon exploration, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

"We will send our ship, Abdulhamid Han, to the Yorukler-1 well, 55 kilometres away from (Antalya's) Gazipasha," Erdogan said on Tuesday during a ceremony for the first mission of Türkiye’s fourth drill ship, Abdulhamid Han, at the Tasucu port in the country's Mediterranean city of Mersin.

Erdogan added that the Abdulhamid Han drill ship is "the symbol of Türkiye's new vision" in the field of energy.

The president said Türkiye has a "rare" drilling fleet in the world with its ships Fatih, Kanuni, Yavuz, and Abdulhamid Han.

READ MORE: Türkiye's fourth drill ship to start operating in Mediterranean soon

Natural gas exploration

About natural gas exploration, Erdogan said: "Now, with four drilling ships and two seismic research ships, we are also engaged in this field."

He added Türkiye carries out exploration and drilling operations in the Mediterranean within its jurisdiction, saying: "We do not need anyone's permission for this."

Erdogan also noted: "We are planning to finish the operations in the 10 wells required for the first phase of Black Sea gas and to start putting the natural gas acquired from there into service for our nation in 2023."

Abdulhamid Han, with seventh-generation advanced technology, has a maximum operating depth of 3,600 metres, a tower height of 104 metres and a crew capacity of 200.

The drill ship is one of the world's five seventh-generation ships, with a maximum drilling depth of 12,200 metres.

READ MORE: Türkiye to start transferring gas from Black Sea in early 2023: Erdogan