Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa

Turkey's first drillship, Fatih, set sail from Istanbul's Haydarpaşa Port for a drilling mission in the Black Sea, Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez said on May 29.

Turkey has intensified hydrocarbon exploration and drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which along with low oil prices has caused the temporary suspension of activities of foreign oil companies in the region.

Despite the negative consequences of the pandemic on drilling plans in the region, Turkey is expanding its operations.

Turkey on March 26 slammed a statement by the Greek Foreign Ministry over Turkish maritime jurisdiction areas in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Hami Aksoy, a spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry, dubbed the Greek statement "unfortunate and misleading."

Turkey's third drillship arrived in Taşucu, Mersin, a coastal city in the Mediterranean region of the country on March 15, the energy minister said.

Fatih Dönmez said that the Turkish Petroleum Corporation took the ship into its inventory on Jan. 31 and it set off from the U.K.

State-run Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) has added another drilling vessel to its fleet for $37.5 million, according to a prominent Turkish maritime publication.

Sertao, moored at Port Talbot in Britain for two years, was acquired by TPAO in an auction, Istanbul-based Denizcilik Dergisi (Maritime Magazine) reported on Feb. 8.