Newsletters
Türkiye’s drilling ship Cagri Bey will begin operations in Somalia on Feb. 15, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said, as Ankara expands oil and natural gas exploration efforts both domestically and abroad.
“Tomorrow, we will take another historic step. We will send off our Cagri Bey ship from Mersin Tasucu to Somalia, and we will search for oil in Somalia. In this sense, 2026 will be a year of discoveries, a year of good news for us,” Bayraktar said.
The Cagri Bey drilling vessel had been expected to depart for Somalia later this month and will travel via the Gibraltar Strait and South Africa to reach Somali waters.
Meanwhile, drilling operations are anticipated to begin in the April-May period.
The Turkish Naval Forces Command will provide security for the Cagri Bey drilling vessel.
Naval elements comprising TCG Sancaktar, TCG Gokova and TCG Bafra will provide logistical support to the Somalia Turkish Task Force Command and conduct research activities in Somali maritime jurisdiction areas.
These naval units will operate in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia, and in the Arabian Sea until Feb. 25 to support the drilling vessel.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Bayraktar made the remarks while attending the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Istanbul Neighborhood Chairpersons Consultation and Evaluation Camp in Ankara’s Kizilcahamam district.
Recalling that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan set the goal of “certainly carrying out work that will make Türkiye independent in energy,” Bayraktar said:
“We will end Türkiye’s external dependence in this field because if Türkiye becomes energy independent, it will be much stronger economically, and we will have a much stronger treasury.”
Emphasizing that domestic natural gas production in the Black Sea will be doubled this year, Bayraktar said continued offshore exploration remains a priority.
“Black Sea gas is, of course, very important. We will continue to search persistently and resolutely in the Black Sea. We are also intensifying our efforts for new good news in different fields. This year, we will search the offshore areas of Rize, Giresun, Ordu, Samsun, and Kastamonu, and the Black Sea from end to end, with these drilling operations to discover new fields,” he said.
Stating that Türkiye is searching for oil and natural gas not only at home but also abroad, Bayraktar repeated:
“Tomorrow, we will take another historic step. We will send off our Cagri Bey ship from Mersin Tasucu to Somalia, and we will search for oil in Somalia. In this sense, 2026 will be a year of discoveries, a year of good news for us.”
Bayraktar also said construction of the first reactor at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant has reached 99% completion.
“Our goal is to generate energy from the first reactor within this year and to gradually commission the other reactors as well. When all four reactors are commissioned, we will meet 10% of our electricity needs from there. With the Sinop and Thrace projects, Türkiye will become a country with a significant nuclear industry,” he said.
The seventh-generation ultra-deep-sea drilling vessel Cagri Bey is one of two new vessels recently added to Türkiye’s expanding fleet.
Türkiye now has the world’s fourth-largest deep-sea drilling fleet following the addition of the twin seventh-generation vessels Cagri Bey and Yildirim, Bayraktar announced in early January.
1 min read
Meanwhile, the Oruc Reis seismic research vessel conducted surveys in Somali territorial waters last year, collecting 3D seismic data across three maritime blocks covering 4,465 square kilometers. The data has now progressed to the drilling phase.
Libya, another country strengthening Türkiye’s position in the Eastern Mediterranean, is expected to hold a new licensing tender next month. Ankara is preparing to participate and aims to implement new projects in the fields acquired through the process.
Türkiye is also preparing to launch seismic surveys in Pakistan in the coming days using either the Oruc Reis or Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa seismic research vessels.
In addition, Türkiye has expanded global partnerships in energy exploration, signing agreements with Exxon and later Chevron.
Technical details on which fields the agreements will cover have not yet been disclosed, though the cooperation is expected to include oil and natural gas prospects in multiple regions.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
