Türkiye Dispatches Deep-Sea Drillship Çağrı Bey To Somalia For First Overseas Offshore Mission

Türkiye has sent its deep-sea drilling vessel Çağrı Bey to Somalia, marking the country’s first offshore drilling operation beyond its own maritime zone.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar oversaw the departure ceremony at Taşucu Port in Mersin on Sunday and said the vessel would begin drilling at the Curad-1 well in Somali waters in April.

Bayraktar stated that the drillship is expected to reach Mogadishu in around 45 days. He said the vessel would be escorted by three Turkish naval warships during its voyage.

Officials stated that the ship would not transit the Suez Canal but would instead sail via the Atlantic and Africa’s western coastline.

The seventh-generation ultra-deepwater drillship will target a depth of about 7,500 metres at the Curad-1 well.

The operation follows an offshore seismic survey carried out by Türkiye’s research vessel Oruç Reis, which was deployed from Istanbul in October 2024 under a bilateral energy agreement signed between Türkiye and Somalia in 2024.

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Çağrı Bey Sondaj Gemisi’ni Somali’ye Uğurlama Töreni

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According to Türkiye’s energy ministry, Oruç Reis completed a 234-day mission on 6 June 2025, collecting three-dimensional seismic data across 4,464 square kilometres in three offshore blocks.

Seismic surveys are used to identify potential hydrocarbon-bearing structures, while drilling is required to confirm the presence and commercial viability of oil or gas.

Türkiye and Somalia formalised agreements in 2024 covering both onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration.

Bayraktar stated that Türkiye aims for its national oil company to reach production of around 500,000 barrels of oil and gas per day by 2028, with a longer-term objective of increasing capacity to 1 million barrels per day.

He added that Türkiye has recently signed strategic agreements in oil and gas exploration with US-based ExxonMobil and Chevron, as well as the UK-based BP, and that another overseas offshore partnership agreement with an international company is planned for next week.

With the addition of Çağrı Bey and Yıldırım, Bayraktar said the number of drillships in Türkiye’s fleet has increased to six.

Together with the seismic vessels Oruç Reis and Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa, Türkiye now operates what he described as the world’s fourth-largest offshore exploration fleet.

Türkiye has expanded its engagement with Somalia in recent years, including the opening of its largest overseas military base in Mogadishu in 2017 and the signing of a new security framework last year focused on maritime security and support along Somalia’s coastline.

Türkiye is also pursuing domestic energy development, including gas production in the Black Sea and the construction of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in Mersin province.

The $20 billion facility, built by Rosatom, is expected to have a total capacity of 4.8 gigawatts, with four reactors projected to supply around 10 per cent of Türkiye’s electricity demand once fully operational.

References: Reuters, somaliatoday

Source: Maritime Shipping News