Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar announced the progress in exploration and drilling activities in the seas.

Bayraktar emphasized that the hydrocarbon exploration activities carried out in the Mediterranean within the scope of international law are continuing without allowing the rights of Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) to be harmed.

In response to a written parliamentary question regarding exploration and drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar stated that oil and natural gas exploration activities continue uninterruptedly in all sea areas with the deep-sea exploration fleet established within the framework of the “Blue Homeland” concept.

Bayraktar stated that with the addition of the Fatih Drilling Ship to the inventory in 2017, drilling activities for oil and natural gas exploration in the Mediterranean Sea were initiated and that the drilling of 10 deep-sea wells has been completed so far.

Bayraktar reported that the Abdülhamid Han Drilling Ship, which was recently taken into inventory, has been working in the Eastern Mediterranean since August 2022 and continues to drill the Akseki-1 well.

Stating that seismic data collection activities for oil and natural gas exploration in the Mediterranean continue, Bayraktar said; “Hydrocarbon exploration activities in the Eastern Mediterranean are carried out by our Ministry within the framework of international law”.

“Our Fatih and Yavuz drill ships in the Mediterranean have the ability to drill to a depth of 12 thousand meters, and so far, drilling has been carried out up to 6 thousand meters in the areas where priority exploration has been decided in the Eastern Mediterranean” he said.