Within the next two months, the drilling rig Abdulhamid Han, which was launched on Wednesday by Türkiye in the Mediterranean Sea, will have completed its drilling, Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez has said.

Dönmez also promised to publicize any discoveries that will be made.

Speaking during Anadolu Agency’s (AA) Editor’s Desk, Türkiye’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez said that the recently launched drillship Abdulhamid Han will be conducting exploratory drilling in the Mediterranean over the next two months.

“We have 45-60 days in the Mediterranean. We will complete our drilling during this time. If there is any discovery, we will share the good news with our nation,” Dönmez stressed, talking about Abdulhamid Han’s investigations in the Mediterranean and Turkiye’s next moves.

He pointed out that Türkiye had so far completed drilling at eight locations, five of which were located within Türkiye’s own maritime areas.

“Surveying is extremely important. We now have a good understanding of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea. We had given a two-month break but we are now back in the field,” Dönmez said.

Türkiye’s energy minister also said that Türkiye will be ready to use its own natural gas it discovered in the Black Sea as of the first quarter of 2023.