Turkey’s Çağrı Bey departs for first overseas deep-sea oil exploration in Somalia

Turkey dispatched its deep-sea drilling vessel Çağrı Bey from the Port of Mersin Taşucu toward Somali waters to undertake the country’s first deep-sea exploration drilling mission outside Turkey’s maritime jurisdiction.

Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said that Çağrı Bey will begin drilling at the Curad-1 well site in Somali waters in April.

The vessel’s 45-day journey will take it around the Mediterranean, through the Strait of Gibraltar, along the West African coast and around the Cape of Good Hope before reaching the Somali offshore drilling location. Turkish naval assets, including the warships TCG Sancaktar, TCG Gökova and TCG Bafra, are accompanying the mission to provide security and logistical support.