Turkey’s TPAO joins Shell in Black Sea exploration project off Bulgaria

Turkey’s state-run oil company, Turkish Petroleum Corp (TPAO), has joined UK oil giant Shell in an offshore exploration project in Bulgaria’s Black Sea waters, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has announced.

In a post on X, Bayraktar said the partnership is part of Ankara’s strategy to expand the operations of its national oil company abroad. The agreement was signed in İstanbul on Wednesday.

Millî petrol şirketimiz Türkiye Petrolleri’ni yurt dışında büyütme stratejimiz doğrultusunda, İstanbul’da Shell ile iş birliği zincirimize yeni bir halka daha ekledik.

Bulgaristan’ın Karadeniz’deki deniz yetki alanında ve Sakarya Gaz Sahamıza yakın bir konumda yer alan Khan… pic.twitter.com/d0mZFUKzeE

— Alparslan Bayraktar (@aBayraktar1) February 18, 2026

Under the deal, TPAO has joined the exploration license for the Khan Tervel block, located in Bulgaria’s maritime jurisdiction in the Black Sea, near Turkey’s Sakarya Gas Field.

Shell will serve as the operator of the license.

Bayraktar said the two companies will initially conduct 3D seismic surveys covering 3,800 square kilometers. Based on the findings, they will evaluate options for drilling an exploration well in the next phase.

The minister said Turkey’s offshore experience in the Black Sea, along with its fleet of drilling and seismic vessels and trained personnel, played a key role in establishing the partnership beyond its own maritime jurisdiction.

Turkey has increased offshore exploration in the Black Sea since the Sakarya Gas Field began production in April 2023, and the government has promoted new drilling capacity and expansion plans.

The daily output from Sakarya reached 9.5 million cubic meters in 2025 according to official figures.

Since the beginning of 2026, TPAO has signed energy cooperation agreements with ExxonMobil, Chevron and BP for potential exploration activities in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.