Turkey hires Schlumberger for offshore drilling support

In its quarterly financial statement released last Friday the world's largest oilfield services company Schlumberger announced that it will provide services to Turkish national oil company Turkish Petroleum for its offshore drilling in the Mediterranean. 

According to the statement Turkish Petroleum awarded Schlumberger an integrated services management contract to drill the deepwater well Alanya-1 in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Under the $15 million contract Schlumberger said it would coordinate multiple product lines as well as provide project management services for Turkish Petroleum’s ultra-deepwater drillship Fatih.

The drillship was previously named Deepsea Metro II and was acquired last year by Turkish Petroleum. According to Marine Traffic website that tracks ships, the drillship is currently anchored near the port of Antalya.

Turkish energy minister Fatih Donmez in September said that Turkey would start drilling by the end of the month and that Turkey will buy a second drillship soon.

According to Kathimerini sources, Cyprus has stepped up its diplomatic overtures to oilfield services providers, conveying the message that any cooperation with the Turkish side for work conducted within the Cypriot exclusive economic zone is illegal and constitutes a violation of the international law of the sea (UNCLOS).