ExxonMobil is to explore the deepwater Black Sea offshore Turkey using the Deepwater Champion, a specially designed, newly built drillship.
The Deepwater Champion is capable of drilling 12,190 metres in up to 3,660 metres of water and will be deployed by ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Turkey, an affiliate of ExxonMobil.
“We look forward to utilising a world-class drillship with superior ultra-deepwater technology in the Turkish Black Sea,” Elwyn Griffiths, vice president, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Turkey, said.
The Deepwater Champion is currently under construction at the Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea. It is expected to drill its first well in the Turkish Black Sea in the first half of 2011.
The vessel’s drilling derrick contains two drilling stations, each capable of a variety of simultaneous operations. The derrick has two removable sections for more efficient transit under the bridges which span the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul.
