Turkey has finalized drilling operations at the Türkali-1 well in the Sakarya gas field in the Black Sea after 77 days, state-run Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) announced Monday.
Operations of Turkey’s first drillship, Fatih, extended to depths over 3,920 meters (2.4 miles) in the Türkali-1 well, the company said in a Twitter post.
Reaching its target destination on Nov. 2, the Fatih drillship began drilling the well on Nov. 5.
The drillship last year discovered 405 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas at the Tuna-1 location in the Sakarya gas field, located about 100 nautical miles north of Turkey’s Black Sea coast.
Turkey expects the first gas flow from the field in 2023, with an envisaged annual gas flow of 5-10 bcm. The field is expected to reach plateau production of around 15 bcm as of 2025.
The country plans to open up to 40 wells in the field, of which up to 10 wells are projected to be completed by 2023, officials said earlier.
The third drillship, Kanuni, which joined the fleet last year, is expected to soon join Fatih in the region.
The vessel set sail from Istanbul on Nov. 13 en route to the Black Sea for maintenance at the Port of Filyos on the sea’s coast before starting its mission at the Sakarya gas field.
Turkey currently has three drillships in its fleet operating in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
Yavuz operates in the Eastern Mediterranean, while Fatih has been carrying out activities in the Black Sea.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez last year said the country is exploring and analyzing options for leasing or acquiring a new drilling vessel as activities intensify in both seas.
The country has two seismic vessels in its fleet, the Oruç Reis and the Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa. Both of the vessels have been on duty in the Mediterranean.
