Türkiye to expand Black Sea and Somalia drilling operations in April

Tuesday March 31, 2026

Türkiye’s drilling fleet is moving into a busier phase, with new exploration and production campaigns lined up for the Black Sea and Somalia in April as Ankara steps up efforts to tap domestic and overseas hydrocarbon resources. Türkiye’s drilling ships are seen at the Filyos Port, northern Türkiye, March 15, 2026. (AA Photo)

Over the past decade, the country has invested heavily in an offshore energy armada designed to trim its dependence on imported fuel by finding more oil and natural gas at home and abroad.

The latest campaign began on March 26, when the Abdülhamid Han drillship started this year’s first exploration well at the Kandıra-2 site off the coast of the northwestern Kocaeli.

Momentum is expected to build in April. The Fatih drillship is due to launch drilling at the Eflani-1 well in the Black Sea, while the newly acquired Çağrı Bey is scheduled to begin work at the Curad-1 well off Somalia before the month ends.

Türkiye expanded its fleet this year with two seventh-generation ultra-deepwater drillships, Yıldırım and Çağrı Bey, bringing its total drillship count to six.

With those additions, Türkiye now stands fourth in the world when drillships and seismic vessels are counted together.

Yıldırım, completed in South Korea in 2024, crossed the Bosporus in late January after preparations at Taşucu Port in Mersin province and then set course for its assignment in the Black Sea.

The vessel is capable of drilling as deep as 12,000 meters, measures 228 meters in length and 42 meters in width, and is equipped with a helipad and accommodation for 200 people.

Çağrı Bey left for Somalia in February and is expected to drill in areas previously mapped by the seismic vessel Oruç Reis.

After Oruç Reis, Çağrı Bey will be Türkiye’s first drillship to operate outside the country.

Centerpiece remains Sakarya gas development

At the heart of Türkiye’s offshore drive is the Sakarya Gas Field, site of the country’s biggest-ever natural gas discovery in 2020.

The find, made by the Fatih drillship and estimated at about 720 billion cubic meters of gas, also ranked as the world’s largest offshore gas discovery that year.

Fatih, Türkiye’s first national drillship, entered service in 2017 and launched the country’s first deep-sea drilling program in the Black Sea in 2020 at the Tuna-1 location off Zonguldak.

The ship is now continuing operations at the Göktepe-2 well in the Black Sea, where drilling began in May 2024.

It can drill to depths of up to 12,200 meters and uses a dynamic positioning system that allows it to hold steady in waves reaching 6 meters (19.69 feet).

Existing vessels continue operations

Yavuz, Türkiye’s second drillship, is also continuing gas exploration work in the Black Sea.

Built in 2011, the ship joined the fleet in 2018 after being acquired by Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO).

It, too, can drill down to 12,200 meters and is one of a small number of double-tower drillships in the world, enabling it to carry out simultaneous operations.

Türkiye’s third drillship, Kanuni, became part of the fleet in 2020 and has been active at the Sakarya Gas Field since 2021.

Kanuni has conducted deep-sea well testing at the Türkali-2 well and remains engaged in hydrocarbon exploration in the Black Sea.

Abdülhamid Han, which joined the fleet in 2022, is regarded as the most advanced and powerful drillship in Türkiye’s fleet.

The vessel can drill to depths of up to 12,200 meters and can accommodate 200 crew members.

Seismic vessels support exploration

Türkiye’s exploration efforts are also underpinned by seismic research ships that gather geological data before drilling begins.

Barbaros Hayreddin Paşa, purchased in 2012, can carry out both two-dimensional and three-dimensional seismic surveys and is able to assess geological formations as deep as 8 kilometers below the seabed.

The ship is currently operating in the Black Sea.

Meanwhile, Oruç Reis, built with domestic resources and commissioned in 2017, can conduct deep seismic surveys reaching 15,000 meters below the seabed.

Beyond oil and gas exploration, Oruç Reis also carries out scientific work on continental shelf boundaries and seabed analysis.

The vessel conducted exploration in Somali waters last year under an energy cooperation agreement between Türkiye and Somalia and is currently stationed at Filyos Port.