To get past the bridges of the Bosphorous Strait and into the Black Sea, Transocean’s rig, which has previously drilled in Canada, Norway, Cyprus and Lebanon, has had to lower its ram guides for the first time since it became operational in 2009.
Once the drilling starts, with some wells at depths of more than 1,000 metres, the rig will host up to 140 staff, which will rotate every four weeks round the clock for up to 18 months, manager Pierre Gully said.
(Reporting by Luiza Ilie; editing by David Evans)