Turkey drilling ship ‘Fatih’ starts third gas exploration in Black Sea

In this aerial photo taken with a drone, Turkish drilling vessel ‘Fatih’ sails up the Bosphorus towards the Black Sea on May 29, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey [Burak Kara/Getty Images]

Turkey’s ‘Fatih’ vessel started drilling its third exploration in the Sakarya gas field in the Black Sea region amid the global energy crisis, the country’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister said Wednesday, local media reports.

According to the report, the vessel will carry out its exploration for natural gas for 2-1/2 months, at a depth of 5,000 meters (16,404 feet) below sea level, at the Karasu-1 well, Fatih Donmez said on Twitter.

Turkey will start using the gas from the Sakarya gas field in the Black Sea in the first quarter of 2023, report says.

Turkey plans to complete the drilling of 40 production wells by 2028 in the region.

On the other hand, last week, thousands of people took to the streets of cities across Turkey to protest against electricity prices that shot up by as much as 125 per cent at the start of the year with newly announced tariffs.

READ: Turkey sends third drillship to Black Sea

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