China-based provider of clean energy services Wison New Energies, formerly known as Wison Offshore & Marine, has held a keel-laying ceremony at its Nantong yard for a floating production unit destined for Türkiye’s giant gas field in the Black Sea.
The FPU, which is being built for TPAO, is designed to process up to 25 million cubic meters of natural gas daily, marking a significant step forward for Türkiye’s domestic energy independence.
The keel-laying ceremony was held on October 25, 2026, for the Sakarya gas field's Phase 3 FPU, and the hull block assembly commenced in the dry dock on schedule, according to Wison New Energies.
The Chinese player emphasizes that this marks the project’s entry into a major construction phase and another important step towards delivery of the ultra-deepwater FPU.
The unit will perform essential functions at the Sakarya Phase 3, including natural gas processing, compression, and export. With a service life of 30 years, the FPU will operate in ultra-deep water at a depth of 2,150 meters.
Once operational, the floating production unit will support Türkiye’s domestic natural gas supply. Located approximately 170 kilometers offshore in the Black Sea at a water depth of 2,150 meters, the Sakarya field is said to hold proven gas reserves of 405 billion cubic meters (bcm).
The second phase of the Sakarya field, which achieved its first gas in April 2023, is expected to meet nearly 30% of the country’s gas requirements by 2030, based on the information provided by Ashley Sherman, Wood Mackenzie‘s Upstream Research Director for Caspian and Europe.
Last year, a 300-meter-long floating production platform purchased from BW Offshore, previously called FPSO BW Opportunity and now known as Osman Gazi, left the Bosphorus and was headed toward Sakarya.
"From first steel cutting for the hull, through the start of topsides fabrication, to today’s keel laying, the project has progressed steadily. The transition from hull block fabrication to hull assembly places greater demands on on-site coordination and overall project management. We will draw on our strengths as an integrated EPCIC contractor to ensure close coordination across all project phases, working with the client and our partners to uphold stringent safety and quality standards and ensure orderly project execution."