Turkey expands offshore energy fleet with 7th drillship

President Erdoğan announced on July 21 the purchase of a new natural gas vessel to serve in Turkish waters. The floating gas processing platform, intended for use in the Sakarya Gas Field, is set to depart next week and will arrive in two months. It has an anticipated service life of 15-20 years in the Black Sea.

In 2021, Turkey unveiled the discovery of 135 billion cu m of natural gas in the Sakarya field. The nation aims to reduce its energy import dependency from 71 percent in 2021 to below 50 percent within the next decade and to 13 percent by 2053.

Turkey’s energy fleet for offshore gas and oil exploration comprises six other ships: Fatih, Yavuz, Kanuni and Abdülhamid Han drilling vessels, and the Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa and MTA Oruç Reis seismic survey ships — all named after Ottoman sultans and military leaders.