Exciting Crude Oil Discovery Near Rize Boosts Exploration

A new discovery has been made that will change the energy balances in the Eastern Black Sea. Samples taken from a petroleum leak detected off the coast of Rize have been confirmed as 'natural crude oil' in analyses conducted at TPAO and university laboratories. Academics conducting the examinations indicated a higher oil potential not only in Rize but also in four other provinces, strengthening the expectations for drilling in the region.

While Turkey has made significant progress in energy with the gas discovered in the Black Sea, good news has also come from Rize. Professor Dr. Nafiz Maden, Head of the Department of Geophysics at Gümüşhane University, confirmed the findings of 'natural crude oil' detected off the coast of Rize-Çayeli, stating that there is a high oil potential in the region.

'The leak is from naturally sourced crude oil.'

Professor Dr. Nafiz Maden announced that positive results were obtained from samples taken from the leak that has been known for years, saying:

'We took two samples from the oil leak off the coast of Rize-Çayeli, which has been known since the Ottoman period. One of these was sent to TPAO, and we received a positive result. We also analyzed the other sample in our university's laboratories; the results confirmed TPAO's analyses. This shows that the leak originated from naturally sourced crude oil.'

While a leak point was previously identified in satellite images, our recent studies have determined that there are leaks from two different points. This finding aligns with our geophysical data. The fact that drilling and exploration activities will take place in the Eastern and Central Black Sea in the coming months has given us hope. Both my expectation and that of my fellow citizens from Rize is to send a drilling ship to the waters off Rize. Just as we discovered natural gas in the Western Black Sea, I believe we will find oil reserves in the Eastern Black Sea, particularly in the region between Trabzon and Hopa.'

Higher oil potential in four other provinces.

Providing information about other academically conducted studies, Professor Dr. Nafiz Maden continued his remarks:

'Another one of our studies focuses on the oil potential of the Bayburt, Gümüşhane, Erzurum, and Erzincan regions. There has been an identified oil leak in the village of Ortaçimağıl in Bayburt since 1933. Cevat Eyüp Taşman and his colleagues prepared the first reports at that time. We continued these studies and identified new leak areas with the contributions of local citizens. We detected oil leaks in the villages of Saruhan, Ortaçimağıl, Kurbanpınarı, and Uluçayır in Bayburt. We sent the samples we collected to TPAO and received positive results.'

Additionally, we encountered oil leaks in two different sites in Gümüşhane; we plan to conduct more detailed examinations in these areas during the spring months. We continue to reap the fruits of our studies from Africa to the Caspian Sea, and from the Balkans to the Black Sea.'

Source: www.denizhaber.com