Offshore drilling

Turkey's third drillship arrived in Taşucu, Mersin, a coastal city in the Mediterranean region of the country on March 15, the energy minister said.

Fatih Dönmez said that the Turkish Petroleum Corporation took the ship into its inventory on Jan. 31 and it set off from the U.K.

Senior US energy official Francis Fannon currently holding a round of talks in Nicosia highlighted the importance of the partnership between Cyprus, Greece, Israel and the US, but urged all parties to refrain from provocative moves which may further destabilize the region.

The United States has reiterated its call to Turkey not to proceed with offshore drilling operations within Cyprus' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and repeated its support of the Mediterranean island's right to exploit and develop its oil and gas resources.

The upcoming European Parliament, regional and local elections are important on many different levels. They are nevertheless not more significant than the escalating threats against the country's national sovereignty.

The U.S. has urged Turkey to reconsider its decision to start offshore drilling operations in Cyprus, according to a statement.     

The State Department is calling on Turkey to reverse its decision to begin drilling operations within Cyprus' Exclusive Economic Zone.

In a statement, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus calls the decision "highly provocative" that "risks raising tensions in the region."

The Greek director of the WWF conservation group was on Tuesday joined by his counterparts from France, Spain and Italy as they expressed their "grave concern" over the potential development of new onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling projects in Western Greece.

London-based offshore drilling contractor Noble Corporation said Shell has hired its Noble Globetrotter II ship to drill a well offshore Bulgaria beginning in the first quarter of 2019, reports SeeNews. 

Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) has begun drilling in the eastern Mediterranean with its deepwater drillship 'Fatih' (Conqueror), the company's acting CEO, President and Director Melih Han Bilgin told a Turkish parliamentary committee.

Turkey’s first drillship, the Deepsea Metro 2, is expected to arrive in Turkey by the end of December in preparation for exploratory offshore drilling in the Mediterranean Sea at the beginning of next year, shipping data showed on Dec. 18.