Yıldırım Deep Sea Drilling Ship, the last member of Türkiye’s energy fleet, left Filyos Port for its first mission in the Black Sea.
According to the statement made by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Yıldırım, who will first work in the Türkali-16 well, will carry out subcompletion activities at this location.
Yıldırım Deep Sea Drilling Ship, Türkiye’s new power in the exploration and production activities to be carried out in the Blue Homeland, arrived in Türkiye on December 4, 2025.
In his statement on December 30, 2025, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that the name of the new drilling ship added to the fleet was determined as “Yıldırım”.
The ship docked at Taşucu Port in Mersin and was decorated with the Crescent and Star. Yıldırım, who will serve in the Black Sea, set out from Mersin to go to Filyos Port on January 21. Passing through Çanakkale and the Bosphorus respectively, he reached Filyos on January 27. The upper part of the ship’s 1,10-ton drilling rig, which was previously dismantled in order to pass through the straits, was installed in its place after Yıldırım docked in Filyos.
Following the tower assembly, processes regarding the commissioning and control of Yıldırım’s drilling, ship and underwater systems were carried out. The ship, whose all tests were completed successfully, was made ready for operations.
Yıldırım Deep Sea Drilling Ship left Filyos Port and sailed to the Black Sea for its first mission. Yıldırım will perform his first mission in the Türkali-16 well. The ship, which will start operations on May 20, will carry out sub-completion activities for the well at the location in question.
Following Fatih, Yavuz, Kanuni and Abdülhamid Han deep-sea drilling ships, the number of drilling ships in the Black Sea increased to 5 with Yıldırım taking office. Thus, Türkiye will further strengthen its drilling capability in the Black Sea and accelerate its exploration and production activities.
Yıldırım, whose construction was completed in South Korea in 2024 and joined Türkiye’s energy fleet, can drill up to 12 thousand meters in the deep sea. Yıldırım, the “7th generation ultra-deepwater drilling ship”, has a length of 228 meters and a width of 42 meters. The ship, which has a helipad, also offers living space for 200 personnel.
