Türkiye’s first floating production platform set for Black Sea deployment

ISTANBUL

This photo shows Osman Gazi, Türkiye's first floating production platform. (AA Photo)

Türkiye’s first floating production platform, Osman Gazi, will be dispatched from Filyos Port in the northern province of Zonguldak to the Black Sea on Oct. 17, according to a statement from the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry.

The Osman Gazi Floating Production Platform is expected to double domestic natural gas output from the Sakarya Gas Field in the Black Sea.

The platform is scheduled to operate in the Black Sea for 20 years and is aimed at increasing daily natural gas production at the Sakarya field to 20 million cubic meters from the current 9.5 million cubic meters.

First unveiled to the public by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in July 2024, the platform is 298.5 meters long, 56 meters wide and 29.5 meters deep. Erdoğan announced on May 27, 2025, that the platform would be named Osman Gazi, and he had seen off the platform from the Dolmabahçe Working Office to Filyos on May 29, 2025.

After undergoing accreditation and certification procedures in Filyos, the platform was also modified to meet the specific requirements of the Sakarya Gas Field.

The platform’s topside consists of 21 separate facilities. Eleven of those facilities were rebuilt in line with the field’s characteristics, including seven manufactured in Turkey and four produced abroad. The remaining ten facilities were modified and integrated into the platform.

With accommodation capacity for 140 personnel, Osman Gazi will operate approximately 170 kilometers offshore after departing Filyos Port on Oct. 17.

The platform will process natural gas and deliver it to Türkiye’s national transmission network.

According to ministry estimates, the platform’s planned daily gas production corresponds to an economic value of about $10 million at current prices and is expected to contribute approximately $3.5 billion annually to the Turkish economy.

Following its deployment, the first gas is expected to be flared from the platform’s flare tower by the end of this year, while production is scheduled to begin in early 2027. The move is expected to complete the second phase of development at the Sakarya Gas Field.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said in a social media post that the platform was ready to head to its mission area in what Türkiye refers to as the “Blue Homeland.”

“On the path toward our goal of full energy independence, Türkiye’s first floating production platform, Osman Gazi, is ready to depart for its duty station in the Blue Homeland,” Bayraktar said.

He added that the project would increase the number of households whose natural gas needs are met through domestic resources from 4 million to 8 million.