Exxon Mobil goes deep in Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey, March 16 (UPI) -- U.S. supermajor Exxon Mobil announced Tuesday it would deploy a specially designed vessel to explore for oil in the deep waters of the Turkish Black Sea.

Elwyn Griffiths, vice president of the exploration division at Exxon Mobil, told an oil and gas conference Tuesday in Ankara that the supermajor would deploy a drillship from a subsidiary of Transocean Ltd., the world's largest offshore drilling contractor, to explore the deep waters of the Black Sea off the coast of Turkey.

The deep water vessel is capable of drilling to a depth of 40,000 feet in waters as deep as 12,000 feet, the company said. The double-hulled drillship can maintain its position during 30-foot waves and in winds as strong as 70 miles per hour.

"We look forward to utilizing a world-class drillship with superior ultra-deep water technology in the Turkish Black Sea," Griffiths said.

Exxon Mobil said it plans to start drilling operations using the deep water drillship in the Black Sea in 2011.