Türkiye Ramps Up Drilling Operations in Black Sea and Somalia as Fleet Expands to Six Ships
Türkiye is set to accelerate hydrocarbon exploration in April, deploying its growing fleet of drillships for new wells in the Black Sea and off the coast of Somalia. The campaign includes the first drilling abroad by the newly acquired Çağrı Bey, underscoring Ankara’s push to boost energy independence and expand international energy cooperation.
This month, Turkey will intensify its offshore drilling operations, utilizing a fleet of six drillships to work concurrently in the Black Sea and off the coast of Somalia.
Early in 2026, two seventh-generation ultra-deepwater vessels joined the fleet: Yıldırım, currently operating in the Black Sea, and Çağrı Bey, which left for Somalia in February. By the end of April, Çağrı Bey, Turkey's first drillship to operate overseas under a hydrocarbon cooperation agreement with Somalia, is expected to start drilling at the Curad–1 well.
The drillships Abdülhamid Han, Fatih, Yavuz, and Kanuni are currently operating in the Black Sea. After Abdülhamid Han's recent work at the Kandıra–2 site, Fatih is anticipated to begin a new well at Eflani–1 this month.
The Sakarya Gas Field, where Turkey made its largest natural gas discovery in 2020, remains the primary focus. The seismic vessels Barbaros Hayreddin Paşa and Oruç Reis aid the exploration efforts. Currently based at Filyos Port, Oruç Reis carried out surveys in Somali waters last year.
With the addition of Yıldırım and Çağrı Bey, Turkey's combined drillship and seismic vessel fleet size now places it fourth in the world. The drilling push is a component of a long-term plan to use both domestic and foreign partners in exploration to lessen the nation's dependency on imported energy.
