Turkey to build seismic search vehicle

An agreement has been reached for the construction of a seismic research vessel that will increase Turkey's capacity to carry out oil exploration in its territorial seas. The Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, which has been overseeing the tender process in the name of the General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA), will sign a construction agreement worth 100 million euros with the contractor next week. The new seismic vessel, which will be part of the MTA's inventory, will feature the latest technological hardware. The vessel will be 86 meters in length and 22 meters wide, and its construction will be completed by 2014, according to projections.