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The second of Türkiye’s newly acquired ultra-deepwater drilling ships is scheduled to arrive in the southern port city of Mersin on Wednesday, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Monday.
Türkiye announced in mid-July that it had purchased two new vessels that will increase the number of the country’s drillships to six, making it the fourth in the world in terms of deep-sea energy fleet.
The first ship arrived off Mersin in early October. It is planned to be deployed in the Mediterranean once it’s ready for operations.
The second, currently docked at Istanbul’s Sarayburnu Port, will help lay subsea pipelines as part of Phase 2 development of the Sakarya Gas Field.
The field is estimated to contain 710 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas. The reserve was gradually discovered between 2020 and 2022. It will meet approximately 30% of the nation’s annual gas needs once the production reaches total capacity.
In mid-May, Türkiye announced the discovery of a new reserve of 75 bcm in the Black Sea.
The new vessel will help install subsea pipelines that will transport gas to Türkiye’s first floating natural gas production platform as part of Phase 2 operations.
Named Osman Gazi, the floating production unit, dispatched to the Black Sea in late May. will then process the gas before sending it to shore.
“When Osman Gazi is ready around June-July 2026, it will go to its offshore location, these connections will be made, and we will complete the second phase and start production,” Bayraktar told reporters aboard the new vessel.
Bayraktar added that the Phase 2 aims to ramp up daily production at the Sakarya field by another 10 million cubic meters, increasing supply from 4 million households to 8 million. In 2028, after completion of Phase 3, this capacity is expected to quadruple.
Pipelaying is expected to be completed early next year, and the system is scheduled to be connected to Osman Gazi in mid-2026. Once fully operational, Phase 2 will deliver an additional 10 million cubic meters per day, raising total daily production capacity at Sakarya to 20 million cubic meters.
The Sakarya field accounted for about 6.6% of Türkiye’s 53 bcm gas consumption last year, according to calculations.
6 exploration wells planned in 2026
Each 228 meters long and 42 meters wide, the two new ships are capable of drilling up to 12,000 meters.
They are equipped with helicopter landing pads and living quarters for 200 personnel. Built last year in South Korea, they are classified as high-capacity seventh-generation vessels.
The vessels will complement Türkiye’s existing deep-sea drilling fleet, which currently includes Fatih, Yavuz, Kanuni and Abdülhamid Han – all actively deployed in the Black Sea.
“Our sixth deep-sea drillship, or our second newly-acquired vessel, will be in Mersin on Wednesday,” Bayraktar said, adding that it will begin its duty in the Black Sea in a month or two.
“In addition to boosting our current production, we are planning six new exploratory drillings in the Black Sea in 2026 at promising locations in the eastern, central and western regions,” the minister said.
Türkiye’s broader energy fleet also includes 11 support vessels, one construction ship and one floating production platform.
The Oruç Reis seismic vessel recently returned from its first intercontinental mission in Somalia and is preparing for a new assignment in the Black Sea, where the Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa seismic vessel is also active.
Türkiye, which imports over 90% of its energy needs, is pushing to cut its import bill and boost supply security by developing domestic resources and expanding international partnerships in oil and gas exploration.
