Oil and gas companies operating in the Turkish territorial waters are working together to ensure they are prepared to control a potential spill, according to Peter Taylor, project manager of the Oil Spill Preparedness Regional Initiative (OSPRI) for the Caspian and Black Sea.

Speaking to Turkey's NPR, he said there has been a marked increase in oil and gas training partnerships among oil companies and Turkish government bodies that will help to ensure that the country is prepared to respond to a crisis such as the spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Partners of the OSPRI initiative include Agip, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Total, Statoil and BP.

His comments came as a number of parties raised concerns about deepwater drilling operations in the Black Sea.

Biologist Ahmed Kadesh explained that the dynamic and fast-flowing currents in the Black Sea would make a spill of that magnitude very difficult to contain.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development