Turkey's Oruc Reis Vessel Completes Half of Seismic Studies for Oil Off Somalia

ISTANBUL - Türkiye Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced Friday that the Oruc Reis vessel has completed 50% of the seismic studies in the Somali seas.

Türkiye's seismic exploration vessel, Oruc Reis, docked at Mogadishu seaport last October for its mission to explore oil and natural gas off Somalia's coast.

The Turkish minister said in a post on X that Bayraktar met with Somalia's new Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Dahir Shire Mohamed and his delegation in Istanbul.

The two ministers "discussed the next process of exploration activities and new collaborations that we can develop on land."

Bayraktar also announced the launch of a new mining cooperation process with Somalia following the meeting.

"We will continue our efforts to bring our cooperation in energy and mining to a level worthy of the close and sincere relations between our countries," he added.

Oruc Reis has been conducting three-dimensional seismic studies in Somali waters for approximately six to seven months, gathering data for oil and natural gas exploration. The data will be analyzed in the Turkish capital, Ankara, to identify potential drilling sites.