By Nuran Erkul
ANKARA (AA) - MTA Oruc Reis seismic vessel, built by Turkish engineers in a domestic shipyard in Istanbul, is ready for exploring oil and gas, energy ministry officials told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.
The vessel will be the second vessel of Turkey to explore the seas for oil and gas as Turkey's first seismic vessel Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa, which was bought from Norway in 2013, is currently exploring the Mediterranean sea.
Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak announced earlier that Turkey aims at increasing its exploration efforts, both in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
The 400-million-Turkish-lira ship will employ 55 crew and personnel.
The vessel, which has 30 years of service life, can sail non-stop for 35 days.
The ship has a helicopter pad, hydrography and oceanography features and it has the ability to scan the sea-floor up to depth of 15,000 meters.