Turkey will begin geological exploration for hydrocarbons off the coast of Somalia, with the new drilling vessel "Çağrı Bey" being deployed for the program. This was announced by Turkey's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.
The vessel "Çağrı Bey" will become part of the Turkish energy fleet, which will operate both in the Black Sea and in international waters, including the maritime area off Somalia's coast. Ankara emphasized that the vessel's commissioning is aimed at achieving the strategic goal of Turkey's full energy independence.
In late December, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar also announced that, ahead of Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's visit to Turkey, he held talks with Somalia's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Dahir Shire Mohamed. The parties discussed the current status of the onshore and offshore hydrocarbon exploration program, as well as plans for cooperation between the two countries in the near future.
"Turkey considers Somalia one of its most important partners on the African continent and believes that our cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector will soon open doors to a new era," Bayraktar wrote on social media platform X.
In September, the Mayor of Mogadishu, Hassan Mohamed Hussein (Muungaab), and the Turkish Ambassador, Alper Aktaş, discussed the development of partnership relations between Somalia and Turkey.
Studies indicate that the shelf off Somalia's coast holds proven oil reserves of 35 billion barrels. In July 2024, Turkey and Somalia signed an agreement under which the Turkish state-owned company TPAO will conduct seismic surveys for oil extraction on the African country's shelf, and in October of the same year, the parties agreed to jointly explore for hydrocarbons onshore.
