Turkey's third drillship, Kanuni, is set to start its operations in Black Sea at the first months of 2021, Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez said Saturday.
Speaking exclusively to AA during his visit to the Port of Filyos project area located on the Black Sea coast at Zonguldak province, Donmez reminded President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's announcement on Aug. 21 of the Turkey's biggest gas discovery of 320 billion cubic meters in Black Sea.
Donmez said that on Aug. 21 they announced the presence of further layers to be discovered in the region than the first and second ones and the amount of gas reserves in the area can be revised accordingly after the drilling works are finalized.
The discovery in the TUNA-1 well at the Sakarya Gas Field, which is around 170 kilometers offshore in the Black Sea, is the result of Turkey's insistent efforts for finding domestic hydrocarbon resources.
The Fatih drillship, which began drilling in the area on July 20, 2020, discovered the well after a month of drilling.
'Currently, drilling studies on the third and fourth layers are finalized and analyses are ongoing. We will finish these in the coming 1-2 weeks. Then, we will share with the public if any further discoveries are made. As we previously said on Aug. 21, we are hopeful,' the minister said.
Included into Turkey's fleet this year, Kanuni drilling vessel's reactivation process continues in Tasucu, Mersin, a coastal city in the Mediterranean region, according to Donmez.
'We project that the drillship will sail from Mersin on Oct. 10 to arrive at the Haydarpasa Port. Here, tower disassembly works will be conducted. We have 3 bridges in the Bosphorus and we need to disassemble the towers to help Kanuni pass under these bridges. We hope first operations to start in the first months of next year and with that, Fatih will be working together with Kanuni in Black Sea. We are conducting the necessary operations in order to bring Black Sea gas to our citizens by 2023,' Donmez explained.
The minister also highlighted the importance of Filyos project, of which the construction works started in 2016, for Fatih drill ship's ongoing studies in the Black Sea.
The project will not only provide services as a port but also planned as a mega logistical center in the Black Sea region, according to Donmez.
The port will be declared as a private industrial district for the operation of medium and high tech firms, he added.
'Fatih continues its operations from 150-160 kilometers away from this port and it needs an important support for maintaining these operations,' Donmez said, adding that in that aspect, shore logistical centers play a vital role for these kinds of operations.
'The fact that Filyos obtains this opportunity these days, helps us to get these services in a more easy and economical way,' Donmez explained.
He stressed that the construction activities for the Port of Filyos project are coming to an end and the port will be more busy when Kanuni drilling vessel arrives in the coming months.
Reporting by Onur Orhan
Writing by Ebru Sengul Cevrioglu
Anadolu Agency
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