TPAO announced the increase in the well on the weekend. TPAO reported a 320 bcm gas find at the well. This has now risen to 405 bcm. The find is the largest ever made in the Black Sea, TPAO said. It is wholly in Turkey’s exclusive zone. TPAO drilled the Tuna-1 175 km north of Eregli. The Fatih drillship, previously known as the Deepsea Metro II, carried out the work. The company drilled the well in 2,117 metres of water, with a total depth of 4,775 metres. The Turkish explorer announced the discovery when it was still working on the well.
Development of the field will create “an ecosystem for local suppliers and R&D facilities than can compete globally”. The Fatih drillship will drill two appraisal wells, while the Kanuni rig will carry out well tests. The increase at Tuna coincided with a visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the drillship. The president noted the initial good news from August on the Tuna discovery and that the Fatih would move to drill the Türkali-1 well, in the same block. TPAO has completed resupplying the drillship at Filyos Port. Unless the EU displays a fair stance towards the ongoing disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean, this will actually spell its own end. The EU cannot bear the burden of getting sidelined regarding the fair sharing of natural resources.