It is expected that drilling will begin in the area of ​​Cyprus, accompanied by ships of the Turkish Navy. floating drilling rig “Abdul Hamid Khan”, which was recently acquired by Turkey. August 9 he himself Recep Tayyip Erdogan will give a speech at the departure ceremony of the drilling rig from the port of Tasutsu, Mersini, and will announce the area where the first work will be carried out.

The information indicates that a particular drilling rig will carry out exploration drilling, each of which can last three months, and, if a potential natural gas deposit is found in the area, final drilling will begin to produce it.

Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez announced that Abdul Hamit Khan will drill “within Turkish maritime areas of responsibility” and in areas previously surveyed by the country’s seismographic vessels. 6 points with possible deposits have already been identified and, according to analysts, the area where the drilling rig will be sent will be the result of a political decision that will be made by the president of the country himself. Turkish seismographic vessels have conducted 10 seismic surveys in the wider Eastern Mediterranean region, and DOE data now show specific 6 areas. Turkish officials say that, as in previous investigations, Turkish research and drilling rigs were escorted by Turkish Navy ships, the same will happen now “if deemed necessary.”

Mr. Donmez’s “Turkish maritime areas of responsibility” statement does not give rise to any complacency, as Turkey, on the maps it has shared with the UN, claims that its continental shelf extends from areas within the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and reaches a distance of up to 6 miles from Rhodes, Kasos, Karpathos, Crete, without recognizing their continental shelf, while ignoring the existence of Kastelorizos. In 2020, the Oruts Reis seismographic vessel carried out surveys in certain areas, which led to tensions between Athens and Ankara.

However, estimates indicate that at this stage, Turkey will try to start work in areas close to Cyprus, not excluding the small possibility that the first study area will also be outside the Cypriot PAO.

Ankara’s goal is to pump the first cubic meters of gas into the Turkish market by 2023, which could also help Erdogan’s presidential campaign in June.

It is considered more likely that the Abdul Hamid Khan, sailing on August 9, will depart from Cyprus.

Today Turkey buys 44.9% of its gas from Russia, 16.1% from Iran and 15% from Azerbaijan.

New letter to the UN

Meanwhile, Ankara seems to continue to make itself known and question the sovereignty of the Greek islands due to their militarization. Turkey has already prepared a new letter, which it will send to the UN, which will respond to a letter sent on May 25 by Permanent Representative of Greece to the UN Maria Theophili in response to a corresponding letter addressed to the Permanent Representative of Turkey. at the UN on September 30, 2021.

Mr. Cavusoglu said in an interview with TV100 that Greek government officials blame Turkey every day, noting that “we have prepared a new letter and will send it to the five permanent members of the UN. We will also ship it to EU. From time to time, we also make updates against these lies and slander.”

According to the estimates of experienced political scientists of the neighboring country, at this stage Ankara will not go for raising tensions on the front with Greece in the Aegean region, as it did in 2020, as they recall that there were two US interventions to avoid such a possibility. . The first was Joe Biden at a meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Madrid in June, who asked the Turkish president to “maintain stability in the Aegean.”

The second speech was made last week by US Secretary of Defense James Austin, who spoke on the phone with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar, and they also discussed Greek-Turkish relations, as well as the issue of modernization and sale of F-16s. to Turkey. Mr. Austin, after meeting with his Greek counterpart Nikos Panagiotopoulos on July 18, announced his contact with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Greek-Turkish issues and expressed the view that both sides could “explore pragmatic solutions to long-standing disputes.”

Fleet

The new Abdul Hamit Khan drilling rig is 238 meters long and 42 meters wide, belongs to the 7th generation and is considered the most powerful drilling rig in Turkey. This drilling rig has more advanced technology than the 6th generation vessels, which are capable of offshore drilling under very high pressure at a depth of 12,000-12,500 meters. The 7th generation will be able to drill deeper. In 2021, Turkey signed an agreement with South Korean Daewoo to purchase a fourth floating drilling rig, then named West Cobalt. Ankara has three more drilling rigs Yavuz, Kanuni and Fatih of the 6th generation, which are already conducting research in the Black Sea. Also last year, Ankara announced the discovery of deposits in the Black Sea with a volume of 400 billion cubic meters. The Turkish government aims to cover 25% of its natural gas needs from these fields in 2026. Turkish sources claim that if Abdul Hamit Khan discovers new deposits, this percentage could reach 30%.