The Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources has confirmed that a drilling vessel will arrive in Somalia later this week to conduct Turkey's first overseas deepwater exploration drilling campaign.
Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said that he will travel to Somalia in the coming days to be present when the Turkish Petroleum-operated drilling vessel Cagri Bey commences work in offshore waters following its arrival in Mogadishu.
The ship's arrival is tentatively scheduled for Friday, April 10. The subsequent drilling campaign will be undertaken in fulfilment of an energy exploration and product sharing agreement that the two countries signed in 2024.
The agreement stipulates that the exploration campaign will help boost the Somali economy.
Cagri Bey is capable of deepwater drilling for hydrocarbon deposits. The drilling will be carried out in areas where the Turkish research vessel Oruç Reis previously conducted seismic surveys.
Mr Bayraktar said that any oil and gas discoveries made by drilling vessel would lead to economic benefits for Turkey, Somalia, and East Africa.
