By Murat Temizer
ANKARA (AA) - Monday's shipping data shows that Turkey's first drillship, the Deepsea Metro 2, is expected to arrive in Turkey by the end of December in preparation for exploratory offshore drilling in the Mediterranean at the beginning of next year.
The data showed that the ship, which will be used by Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), left Norway's Hoylandsbygda port and will arrive in Turkey on Dec. 31.
Turkey has already undertaken oil and gas exploration using two seismic ships, but the Deepsea Metro 2 will be the country's first active drillship.
The South Korean merchant vessel was produced in 2011, has a length of 229 meters (751 feet), and is capable of drilling to a maximum depth of 40,000 feet.
Turkey's first seismic vessel Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa has been conducting operations in the Mediterranean since April 2017 while a second vessel, the MTA Oruc Reis is ready for exploration.
Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak announced in October that Turkey would make its first deep drilling in 2018.
He added that Ankara would conduct drilling activities with a new seismic vessel, which is due for placement on the country's inventory in the last quarter of this year, as part of natural gas and oil exploration activities in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
Albayrak said that negotiations were almost complete for the Deepsea Metro 2.
"We will make our own drilling activities with our [own] engineers," he added.