DenAr Ocean Engineering Services has received a contract to conduct geological and geotechnical research for Turkey's first offshore wind energy research site from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey (MENR).
Research Project Details
This project includes geological and geophysical surveys in two areas of the Sea of Marmara, named the NCS-01 project. The scope of these surveys includes the use of multi-beam echo sounders (MBES), side-scan sonar, sub-bottom profilers, and magnetometers, as well as investigations related to unexploded ordnance (UXO) and high-resolution seismic surveys.
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Operations and Collaborations
The geotechnical work will include cone penetration testing (CPT) and sampling from DenAr's DP2 vessel named Denar Explorer. Following this phase, laboratory tests and reports will be conducted. The company has also announced that the overall field program will include three vessels and operations during the winter season.
As part of the necessary preparations, DenAr held a meeting with representatives from MENR, its consultant IMDC, and its offshore team aboard the Denar Explorer. This meeting focused on planned activities and the requirements for working in the busy waters of the Sea of Marmara.
This contract has been signed while Turkey is advancing preparations for its first offshore wind energy tender, aiming to achieve a capacity of 5 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2035.
In 2023, MENR launched a tender for research and consulting services in three potential development areas in the Sea of Marmara, which is part of the site preparation and design work for the country's first offshore wind tender.
The government published a draft law related to the 1 gigawatt offshore wind tender in June 2026 and announced in August that it intends to hold the first tender in the first quarter of 2027.
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