Turkey’s First FPSO Vessel, Osman Gazi, Arrives in the Black Sea
Turkey’s first floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel, Osman Gazi, arrived in the Black Sea over the weekend. The vessel is set to begin its 20-year contract for gas production next year, aiming to double the gas output from Turkey’s deepwater Sakarya gas field. Currently producing 9 million cubic meters (mcm) of gas daily, the FPSO will significantly increase production levels.
Osman Gazi has a maximum natural gas processing capacity of 10.5 mcm and a transfer capacity of 10 mcm. Once operational, the Sakarya gas field is expected to reach a daily production of 20 mcm, meeting the natural gas needs of 8 million households in Turkey, as stated by Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar.
Over the past few years, Turkey has been focused on expanding its natural gas production in the Black Sea region. With over 90 percent of its energy needs currently being imported, Turkey aims to reduce its import bill by developing domestic resources.
It was in 2023 that the state energy firm TPAO acquired the FPSO from the floater specialist BW Offshore as part of Turkey’s energy expansion plans. The platform arrived in Turkey last year in September aboard the Boka Vanguard, a semi-submersible heavy transport vessel owned by Boskalis. After undergoing technical preparations at a shipyard in Çanakkale city, the platform was floated out on May 27 and docked at the Port of Filyos in the Black Sea on Saturday.
With dimensions of 298.5 meters in length, 56 meters in width, and a personnel capacity of 140 people, the FPSO will process natural gas, which will then be delivered on land through a 161-kilometer-long transmission line for further distribution through the national grid.
Adding to Turkey’s efforts to enhance energy security, the FPSO joins a fleet of vessels recently acquired by the country. Turkey’s first drillship, Fatih, was launched in 2017, followed by Yavuz in 2018, Kanuni in 2020, and Abdülhamid Han in 2021. Notably, Fatih played a key role in the discovery of the Sakarya gas field in August 2020.
In a recent development, Turkey announced the discovery of a new reserve of 75 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas in the Black Sea. This reserve was found during drilling in the Goktepe-3 well at a depth of 3,500 meters, further bolstering Turkey’s energy prospects.