Somalia oil great boost for us, Turkey says

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Turkey has termed the planned extraction of natural gas and oil in Somalia as a 'new era' as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan released vessels to Somalia’s coastline over the weekend in search of the precious commodity.

Alparslan Bayraktar, the country's minister for Energy and Natural Resources, said releasing of Oruc Reis, a research vessel, would help the country sustain energy development as it competes with other nations.

The minister, along with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, attended the ceremony to see off the vessel as it embarked on its latest energy research mission bound for the waters off Somalia.

"Today we all witnessed a historic moment for our country," Bayraktar said in a post on X.

"We sent off our Oruç Reis seismic research vessel from the Bosporus to Somalia with our president. We started a new era in natural gas and oil exploration at sea," he noted.

"With the experience we have gained and our strong infrastructure, we are now in the international arena. We are taking firm steps toward becoming fully independent in energy by increasing our resource diversity," he added.

Somalia signed a deal with Turkey in March which gives Ankara exclusive rights to explore oil and gas along the coast of Somalia. The vessel is expected to arrive on Somalia’s coastline later this month, Turkey announced.

Launched in 2017, the Oruç Reis was entirely designed and constructed in Türkiye, showcasing the expertise and collaboration of Turkish engineers, technicians, and workers through every stage of development, from design to production, Daily Sabah reports.

Somalia, rich in untapped energy potential, "regards this occasion as a historic milestone, with deep appreciation to Türkiye for its steadfast support,” Somalia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It further said that the initiative is set to propel Somalia toward greater economic development and a stronger energy sector.

Abdirizak Mohamed, Somalia’s petroleum and mineral resources minister, hailed the voyage, writing on X: "Today is a monumental day for Türkiye and Somalia as Oruc Reis seismic research ship embarked from Istanbul to Mogadishu to conduct 3D seismic offshore Somalia.”

GAROWE ONLINE