Turkey is scaling up its deepwater ambitions. The state-owned energy company TPAO has acquired two seventh-generation drillships — West Dorado and West Draco — from Norwegian firm Eldorado Drilling for $490 million. Although both ships were built, they have remained idle and will now require $75+ million each for reactivation and upgrades.
📅 Commissioning is expected by February 2026. After deployment, Turkey will become the 4th-largest country in the world by number of deepwater drilling vessels, adding to its existing fleet of Fatih, Yavuz, Kanuni, and Abdülhamid Han, all currently operating in the Black Sea.
⚙️ Key Vessel Specifications:
• Length: 228 meters
• Beam: 42 meters
• Drilling depth: up to 12,000 meters
• Crew capacity: up to 200 people
Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar confirmed that the vessels will operate in both the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, including the promising Göktepe gas field, and that TPAO has also secured seismic exploration licenses in Libyan waters (10,000 km²).
❗️However, drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean is likely to escalate tensions with Greece and Cyprus, due to disputed exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and ongoing geopolitical friction surrounding Northern Cyprus.
