Türkiye's first floating natural gas production platform, named Osman Gazi, passed through the Bosporus on Thursday on its way to the Port of Filyos on the Black Sea coast, where it is expected to start operating next year.
The platform's passage comes on the 572nd anniversary of the conquest of Istanbul.
The floating production unit (FPU), which docked in Çanakkale last year after being acquired a year before, was given the name "Osman Gazi" earlier this week and is seen as a notable addition to the country's energy fleet as it looks the curb the dependence on foreign energy sources and boost domestic gas and oil production.
The platform is poised to complement the energy landscape by doubling natural gas production in the Black Sea region, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Tuesday.
Türkiye, in recent years, has seen a more active energy policy focusing on diversifying its energy mix and boosting domestic capabilities. The energy vision that was put forward by the former Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak back in 2016-2017 steered the country toward boosting domestic exploration and output with reserves that were subsequently discovered.
The platform was expected to depart from Ahırkapı at 11 a.m. local time and was projected to be in front of the iconic Dolmabahçe Palace in the center of Istanbul in the afternoon.
Turkish media reported that ship traffic in the Bosporus has been suspended in both directions due to the passage of the massive vessel.
The Osman Gazi was sent off to the Black Sea from Dolmabahçe Palace with a farewell ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Bayraktar.
The Bosporus passage will take approximately 11 hours, and the vessel is scheduled to dock in Filyos on June 1, an Anadolu Agency (AA) report said.
"If you want to witness history, turn your face to the Bosporus! Türkiye's first Floating Production Platform is passing through the Bosporus with the largest towing operation in the history of the republic," Bayraktar said in a post on X.
"This giant facility is accompanied by five tugboats, led by Nene Hatun, which is among the top three in the world with its 205 tons of traction power. Just like in 1453, this unique passage will be a victory of determination, perseverance and Turkish engineering that will leave its mark on history," he added.
The Osman Gazi is expected to start its duty in the Black Sea in 2026, doubling the current natural gas output there, the minister said earlier this week.
"Thus, with a daily production of 20 million cubic meters (mcm), we will meet the natural gas needs of 8 million households from the Sakarya Gas Field," he noted.
Sakarya Gas Field is Türkiye's flagship natural gas field, producing currently 9.5 mcm of gas daily.
Osman Gazi platform's maximum natural gas processing capacity is 10.5 mcm and its maximum gas transfer capacity is 10 mcm.
Measuring 298.5 meters (979.3 feet) in length, 56 meters in width and 29.5 meters in depth, it has a personnel capacity of 140 people.
The main gas transmission line from the platform to the land will be 161 kilometers long. The natural gas processed on the platform will be delivered to the land via this line and given to the national grid in a ready-to-use form.
