The semi-submersible platform, which is the second largest drilling rig in the world, will carry out explorations in the Black Sea for the state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) and the Brazilian oil company Petrobras.
Delivering a speech at a ceremony organized for the passage of the platform, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yıldız explained that work on the project started in 2006 and now that seismic studies have been completed, drilling studies are about to start.
Yıldız stated that this is the biggest project for TPAO in Turkey. He said that Turkey is an important importer of both oil and natural gas, and pointed out that the way to prevent imports is not to reduce consumption but to encourage the domestic production of these goods.
 Leiv Eiriksson, an oil drilling platform built by Ocean Rig, a Norwegian offshore drilling contractor, passed through the Bosporus on Thursday to enter the Black Sea. |
Turkey has made significant progress in the exploration of domestic sources, especially in oil and natural gas, over the last seven years, the minister said, emphasizing the importance of the drilling work that will be conducted by Leiv Eiriksson. “There is the possibility that we may not find any oil or natural gas as a result of these particular explorations, but our work will continue,” he said.
