Statements from the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar held a press conference on the 4th drilling ship, Abdülhamid Han, which is participating in Turkey’s hydrocarbon exploration operations off the coast of Zeytinburnu. Minister Bayraktar, who conducted inspections on the ship before it set sail for the Black Sea, said, “The Abdülhamid Han Ship has so far conducted three deep-sea drilling operations in the Mediterranean. It will soon pass through the strait and head to its “new mission in the Black Sea.”
‘It Will Continue Its Activities in the Black Sea’
Minister Bayraktar emphasized that Turkey has one of the most advanced deep-sea drilling fleets in the world and said, “The Abdülhamid Han Drilling Vessel is the fourth vessel in our fleet. It is our seventh-generation vessel that recently joined the fleet. We have conducted 3 deep-sea drilling operations in the Mediterranean so far. Hopefully, it will continue these activities in the Black Sea now. One of the most important tools of our National Energy and Mining policy that we put forward in 2016. and natural gas exploration activity in Turkey’s own seas and lands. In this context, unlike in the past, we wanted to carry out these activities with our own means, our own ships, seismic and drilling vessels. of the most advanced fleets in the world. We have two seismic vessels and four deep-sea drilling vessels. We drilled 9 drilling wells in the Mediterranean with these vessels and in 2020, we realized the largest natural gas discovery in the history of the Republic. in the Sakarya Gas Field, which our President shared as good news for our nation. “Thanks to this discovery, we started producing gas from that field in a very short time,” he said.
‘We Have a Daily Production of 5.5 Million Cubic Meters’
Stating that they aim to meet the natural gas needs of 15 million households in the first quarter of 2025, Minister Bayraktar said, “Currently, some of the gas used in our homes comes from this field. We have a daily production of 5.5 million cubic meters. This amount meets the natural gas needs of approximately 2.4 million households. In other words, the natural gas needs of homes are now met with our own gas, the gas we produce in the Sakarya Gas Field in the Black Sea. Large reserve in that region. Our priority is to rapidly increase the production in the Sakarya Gas Field. We plan to increase this 5.5 million cubic meters to 10 million cubic meters in the first quarter of 2025 and reach the natural gas needs of almost 15 million. In addition, we are bringing the floating production facility and floating production ship to Turkey last week. Hopefully, it will pass through the Bosphorus in less than 2 months. location in the Black Sea where it will operate for 20 years. From there, “We will produce 10 million cubic meters of natural gas, which is enough for 5 million households, in 2026. Therefore, we will have produced the needs of 10 million households in the Black Sea with our own gas. This is a “Very large operation. We are carrying out these activities in a location where the sea depth is 2100 meters and 170 kilometers from the land. In order to provide this production quickly, our ships need to work on a busy schedule,” he said.
‘We will be in production at 12 wells in the first quarter of 2025’
Minister Bayraktar, who noted that the production activities of 8 wells are currently ongoing, said, “We are currently working in the Black Sea with our three ships. Fatih, Yavuz and Kanuni ships. Each of these has a different task. Fatih is drilling , Kanuni provides the well bottom completion service, which we call bottom completion, and Yavuz is completing the top and making this well ready for production. We currently have 8 wells in production. to 10 by the end of September. Then, we will start production in 12 wells in the first quarter of 2025. We have to prepare these wells more quickly for the second and third phases. to the Black Sea with a production-oriented perspective. You see the ship in Filyos. It does not have a tower right now because we took its tower in Aliağa Port. Strait or cross the Çanakkale Bridge. Now, this activity will be completed in our own port in Filyos and the ship will be ready for production in the shortest time. “It will be ready for drilling in a short time. Fatih Ship’s 5 years have passed. Time passes very quickly. At the end of 5 years, every ship must be re-certified. Some of its technical features need to be reviewed. We “will not be able to use Fatih Ship for this activity for a few months. God willing, Abdülhamid Han will take over its duties,” he said.
‘Today We Are Sending Abdulhamid Khan Off to the Black Sea’
Bayraktar, who stated that the first stage will be the operation in Sakarya Gas Field, said, “While increasing production on the one hand, on the other hand, we are trying to dig new wells in the Black Sea and make new discoveries. , we will complete an exploration well this year, before the year 2024, and we will give good news to our nation from there. Today, we are sending Abdülhamid Han off to the Black Sea. The first stage will be the activities in Sakarya Gas. Field, but there are also locations we have identified in the Western Black Sea, Central and Eastern Black Sea; however, our priority is now to increase production. In between, we aim to use these ships for new drillings in a few weeks. Mediterranean was our first location in long-term oil and natural gas exploration. It was very important for us to have our own fleet in order to conduct operations in the Mediterranean more healthily. We will never give up on Mediterranean. or Blue Homeland like a fairy tale some people do. Hopefully, Blue Homeland will be our epic in the seas. “Because there are locations in the Mediterranean where we have hope,” he said.
‘We Will Also Have a Drilling Activity in Somalia’
Referring to the maritime jurisdiction agreement reached with Libya and Somalia, Bayraktar said, “So far, we have not had any activity that could be an exploration and that makes economic sense, but from now on, we will continue to be active in the Mediterranean In the locations we have identified We are making plans for 2026 regarding this. There are locations in the Mediterranean where we have not conducted seismic, we will complete them as well and we want to provide a beneficial result to our nation by conducting drilling in. The most appropriate location. Our oil production continues in Turkey’s oil and natural gas exploration. We also need to have activities in different geographies and different countries. For this reason, we signed a contract regarding maritime jurisdictions. Libya and most recently with Somalia a few days ago and obtained the licenses in this way, we will start seismic studies there with Oruç Reis by the end of September. Maybe we will have a drilling activity in Somalia with seismic results. Therefore, Turkey continues its oil and natural gas exploration with determination from many sides and many regions, “he concluded his words.
