Turkey Dispatches New Drill Vessel to the Mediterranean
Tuesday saw the inauguration of Turkey's newest drilling vessel, which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated will be transported to a region in the eastern Mediterranean northwest of Cyprus. The Abdulhamid Han is the biggest underwater hydrocarbon drill ship ever built in Turkey.
To achieve its energy demands, Turkey is almost dependent on imports. The ambition of the administration of President Erdogan to achieve a budget surplus has been hampered by rising global energy costs. Turkey bought about 50% of its natural gas from Russia in 2021.
In the southern region of Antalya, President Erdogan announced that the Abdulhamid Han will start drilling at the Yorukler-1 well, around 34 miles off the coast of Gazipasa. The Fatih, Kanuni, and Yavuz drill ships are now engaged in operations in the Black Sea, where Turkey has found natural gas deposits.
"The sooner we can increase our natural gas and oil resources, which have turned into weapons in the global economic crisis, the more advantage we will gain in this critical process," said President Erdogan. "It will help us both reduce our energy dependency and close our current account deficit."
President Erdogan stated that although the ship's first destination is not in disputed seas, the Abdulhamid Han would keep looking for gas until it does, which may take it to territories that Cyprus claims. The EU has placed penalties on Ankara for Turkish drilling off the island nation.
Turkey and Cyprus have been at odds over maritime border disputes for years. What’s more, Turkey is charged by Greece with unlawfully scouring Greek island waters for gas resources. The Greek islands close to the Turkish shore should not be considered for determining maritime borders, according to the Turkish government, which disputes the claims.
"Our exploration and drilling in the Mediterranean is within our own sovereign dominion," added President Erdogan. "Neither the puppets nor the ones who hold their strings will be able to prevent us from getting our rights in the Mediterranean,"