Turkey’s state-owned oil and gas company has made a preliminary agreement to purchase a new drilling vessel to accelerate energy prospecting activities in the eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea, according to Turkish media.
The Turkish Petroleum Corp. is finalizing a deal to acquire a deep-water drilling vessel from Dolphin Drilling, a Norwegian rig company, for a yet-to-be disclosed sum, the media said.
The purchase would add a fourth drilling ship to the company’s fleet, which includes two additional seismic exploration vessels, and comes after a year marked by maritime boundary disputes in the eastern Mediterranean stemming from Turkish energy prospecting activities in areas claimed by Greece and the Republic of Cyprus.
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Turkey largely suspended its energy projects in the eastern Mediterranean after EU leaders agreed in December to draw up sanctions over the nation’s activities and Ankara resumed high-level talks with Athens to de-escalate tensions in January.
The developments drew praise from German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a recent call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, yet the purchase of a new drilling vessel has raised concerns territorial disputes could resume in the region.
