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Turkiye, which increased its total gas reserves to 710 billion cubic metres as a result of the activities carried out within the scope of natural gas exploration and production in the Black Sea, is intensifying its efforts to make new discoveries.

In this context, drilling and seismic exploration ships are working in the Sakarya Gas Field off the coast of Zonguldak, where 2.7 million cubic metres of daily production is achieved. Drilling activities are carried out in the wells where gas is detected, and exploration activities are carried out at points with gas potential.

While Fatih, Kanuni, and Yavuz drilling ships continue their activities intensively in and around the field, where 10 million cubic metres of production are targeted in the first phase and 40 million cubic metres in the second phase, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, in his statement on January 25, said that this year they will focus on offshore production and exploration.

Making a statement on the subject, Oğuzhan Akyener, President of Turkiye Energy Strategies and Policies Research Centre (TESPAM), stated that the Black Sea has great potential in terms of energy resources and said, "We caught a big fish in this untouched region. Hopefully, it is a region with new big fish potential. The work will continue."

Akyener reminded that intensive seismic studies are being carried out in the region and pointed out that steps have been taken in areas where studies have not been carried out before.

Underscoring that potential structures have been identified in different areas of the region, Akyener said, "It is necessary to start testing processes to ensure that these structures contain hydrocarbon reserves, which we can express as real producible economic reserves. This can only be revealed by drilling after seismic analyses and interpretations. In this context, our drilling ship is relevant. We hope that they will be directed to potential areas and start search efforts."

Akyener stated that an average drilling time of two to three months can be predicted in the Black Sea, and emphasised that variables such as the operating time of the ship, tests, and geology may be factors in this context.

Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) Board Member Altuğ Karataş also said that some oil leaks were detected around Ordu and off the coast of Batumi city, Georgia, in line with the information obtained from satellite images.

Stating that oil spills at a level that can be taken and examined from the sea are observed from time to time off the coast of Çayeli in Rize, Karataş stated that in this context, there are findings that the Black Sea has high potential.

Karataş stated that as a result of geological research, there is a possibility of underground oil shifting depending on the rock structures, and that it is important to determine at what point the oil and natural gas accumulate as a result of seismic research.

Stating that according to some geological research data from the USA, it is stated that there are around 1 trillion cubic metres of natural gas reserves in the Black Sea, Karataş said, "When we consider that Turkiye has found another 710 billion cubic metres of this potential, there are many reasons to be hopeful. The planned studies will yield results."

Turkiye's energy fleet established for seismic and drilling activities for natural gas and oil exploration at sea includes a total of 6 ships, including Fatih, Yavuz, Kanuni, and Abdulhamid Han drilling ships, as well as Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha and MTA Oruç Reis seismic search ships.

Fatih, which has the title of the country's first national drilling ship, has discovered 710 billion cubic metres of natural gas with the drillings it has carried out in the Black Sea in recent years since joining the fleet in 2017. The ship continues its search activities off the coast of Sakarya for new good news.

The Yavuz drilling ship, which joined the inventory in 2018 after the Fatih ship, is also working off the coast of Sakarya.

Kanuni, the country's third drilling ship, joined the fleet at the beginning of 2020. It currently continues its operations near the Türkali-9 well off the coast of Zonguldak.

On the other hand, Abdulhamid Han is working off the coast of Antalya in the Mediterranean.

Carrying out its work within the scope of seismic data collection projects in the fields of marine research, exploration, and operation licences, Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha is in Trabzon, and the Oruç Reis seismic ship is waiting ready for duty in Zonguldak.

It is aimed at expanding the fleet in question, which combs Turkiye's seas inch by inch, with new ships in the coming years.

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