Ankara: The number of Trkiye's deep-sea drilling ships is set to increase from four to six, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Thursday. With the addition of these new vessels, Trkiye will become the fourth-largest country in the world in terms of its deep-sea fleet capabilities.

According to Anadolu Agency, President Erdogan made this announcement during a Cabinet meeting in the Turkish capital, Ankara. He highlighted Trkiye's significant natural gas discovery in the Black Sea in 2020 and mentioned that the first phase of this project has been completed. The Sakarya Gas Field is currently producing 9.5 million cubic meters of natural gas daily from 12 wells, supplying four million households with domestic gas.

President Erdogan also noted that Trkiye's daily oil production from both domestic and foreign sources has reached 170,000 barrels. He emphasized the nation's ongoing efforts to achieve energy independence, stating, "We will continue to work and add new investments until we achieve our goal of a fully independent Trkiye in energy."