President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Sunday that Türkiye is acquiring a new natural gas ship that would be deployed in a gas field on the northern coast, hinting it would be in the country in about two months.
"For example, we are purchasing a new natural gas ship. (It is) a floating gas processing platform, to be used in gas production in the Sakarya Gas Field. It will be in Türkiye in about two months. It is 300 meters (984.2 feet) long and 58 meters wide," Erdoğan told journalists on a return trip from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
"This platform, which will produce enough natural gas for 5 million households, may remain there for 15-20 years. It's almost like a base. It will set sail next week and will come to Türkiye," he added.
The Sakarya Gas Field off the northwestern Zonguldak province is estimated to contain 710 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas. The reserve was discovered in August 2020.
More than a year ago, Türkiye started pumping gas into the national grid through a pipeline linked to an onshore processing facility.
The reserve will meet approximately 30% of the nation's annual gas need once the production reaches total capacity.
The current daily production from the field reached 5.5 million cubic meters (mcm), which is enough to meet the needs of 2.4 million households, according to the country's energy minister.
The output is aimed to be lifted first to 10 mcm before reaching 40 mcm in the final phase, enough to supply up to 15 million households.
Türkiye is highly dependent on oil and gas from abroad and a hefty energy bill is among the biggest challenges before the government that seeks to curb the chronic trade and current account deficits and rely more on domestic resources to meet its needs.
However, over the years, Türkiye has made significant advances in offshore energy exploration, now possessing one of the world's largest deep-sea fleets, including four drilling ships and two seismic vessels.
Answering the question related to defense capabilities and embargoes it faced in the past, Erdoğan said, "You know, we couldn't even buy tires for our planes, but now Petlas has started making tires for our planes. This is a very important step. Moreover, it is in the heart of Anatolia."
The president also cited the point reached in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) while lauding the competitiveness of companies such as Aselsan, Havelsan and Rokestan.
"Aselsan, Havelsan, Roketsan, all of them are currently in competition with the world in the defense industry. We are very happy about this," he noted.
Expressing that Western countries are placing order after order for Turkish unmanned aerial vehicles, Erdoğan stated that he would not name the countries, but said the fact that EU countries are now making such demands from Türkiye shows how times have changed.