Türkiye's seventh-generation drillship, Abdülhamid Han has been sent to the Black Sea to start drilling in the region and arrived in the Port of Filyos on Saturday before its new operation.

The Abdülhamid Han vessel will cross the straits toward its new location in the Black Sea, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar told reporters aboard the vessel on Friday.

The vessel has already conducted three deep-sea drills in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Abdülhamid Han, the fourth ship in Türkiye's deep sea drilling fleet, was due to first sail to Filyos port in Zonguldak, northwestern Türkiye, to have its towers reinstalled as they were dismantled for the Istanbul Strait crossing.

Citing the largest natural gas discovery in Turkish history in the Sakarya Gas Field in 2020, Bayraktar said, "There is a very large reserve in that region ... We need to increase the production of Sakarya Gas Field very quickly."

Daily production at the Sakarya Gas Field is currently at 5.5 million cubic meters (mcm), enough to meet the needs of 2.4 million households, according to the minister.

When asked about the drilling activities in the Mediterranean Sea, Bayraktar said that the Mediterranean Sea was the first location for long-term oil and natural gas exploration and offshore exploration.

He added that the activities in the Mediterranean spurred the country to expand its fleet.

However, Abdülhamid Han's move to the Black Sea should not be interpreted as losing hope for discoveries in the Mediterranean, Bayraktar underlined and added, "We have never given up on (drilling activities in) the Mediterranean Sea ... There are locations in the Mediterranean where we are very hopeful."

Although so far, no discoveries have been made in the region, he said, "We will continue to be active in the Mediterranean."

The minister said that Türkiye plans to carry out seismic works in 2026 in the region.

Türkiye has several ships for exploration and drilling activities in its territorial waters. Drill ships Fatih, Yavuz, Kanuni and Abdülhamid Han, along with seismic exploration vessels Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa and Oruç Reis, are active in the country's oil and gas exploration endeavors.

Last month, the Turkish minister announced that one of these vessels, Oruç Reis, will be sent to Somalia to conduct the seismic study in the region in October.