Turkey's 3rd drill ship named Kanuni arrived in Tasucu, Mersin, a coastal city in the Mediterranean region of the country on Sunday, Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez announced.
Donmez said that Turkish Petroleum Corporation took the ship into its envantory on Jannuary, 31.
The preparations for the voyage of the ship were completed in the United Kingdom and the ship departed from the country.
'We named our 3rd drill ship Kanuni. After 18 days of voyage, our ship entered Turkey's Mediterranean coastal waters on March, 13. Kanuni arrived Tasucu, Mersin this morning,' he noted.
The drill ship, with the ability to extend down to depths of 11,400 meters and drill to depths of 3,000 meters, was built by Samsung in South Korea in 2012. Brazilian energy company Petrobras used it for explorations up to 2015.
Donmez stated that the entry to and exit from the ship will be forbidden as part of measures against the global pandemic, Covid-19.
'The ship arrived in Turkey with 35 personnel of Turkish Petroleum Corporation. After the relevant process with the Covid-19 measures was completed, the process for maintenance, update and development will start for Kanuni,' he said.
'The ship will start drilling as soon as it is ready,' Donmez stated.
Turkey is currently exploring in the Eastern Mediterranean with two drilling vessels Fatih and Yavuz, along with Oruc Reis and Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa seismic vessels in the same region.
The country plans to conduct five offshore drillings in the Eastern Mediterranean this year, according to Turkey's Annual Presidential Program for 2020.
Turkey also plans to explore in the Black Sea region where work has been suspended for a long while.
By Nuran Erkul Kaya
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr