Turkish oil exploration vessel to dock in Somalia’s coastline

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Turkish seismic research vessel Oruc Reis is set to arrive in Somalia a few days from now, officials said, ending the wait for the much-needed oil exploration in the country, which has access to 3,333 kilometers of sea coastline.

The vessel shall leave for Somalia this weekend, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has said, adding that most of the clearance has been done before the East African coastline trip.

The minister announced the deployment at a conference in the capital Ankara on Oct. 2. Turkish is a major security and development stakeholder in the Horn of Africa nation, which has struggled to quell instability for several years.

A few months ago, Turkey signed a hydrocarbon exploration deal with Somalia which shall target three designated offshore blocks. Once implemented, the agreement shall boost Somalia’s economic fortunes, officials said.

A deep scrutiny of the agreement signed in July shows that once the project is completed, Türkiye will hold exclusive rights to explore and produce hydrocarbons in the blocks, each covering around 5,000 square kilometers.

Officials privy to the deal say that one of the blocks is located about 50 kilometers from the Somali coast, while the third is positioned 100 kilometers offshore. The blocks would solve the petroleum products deficit in Somalia, Turkey affirmed.

The Oruç Reis will conduct “significant seismic research that will last for months," which could lead to exploration, drilling, and possibly a discovery, the minister said earlier. This will come after a huge investment, officials said.

Describing the agreement as “a historic step” for both nations, Bayraktar said the vessel will be accompanied by a 50-person crew and five support ships on its journey to Somalia. The vessel shall only focus on the exploration of hydrocarbons.

The government of Turkey maintains only seven oil exploration vessels and they include the Oruç Reis and the Barbaros Hayreddin Paşa, another seismic research vessel, as well as drilling vessels Fatih, Yavuz, Kanuni, and Abdülhamid Han, Daily News reports.

GAROWE ONLINE