A Turkish deep-sea drilling vessel has arrived in Somalia for a "historic mission," marking the beginning of Ankara's first overseas deep-sea drilling operation, a top official announced on Thursday.
"The Çağrı Bey (ship) has arrived in Somalia for its historic mission," Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said in a post on social media.
"We are opening a brand-new chapter in the energy history of both Türkiye and Somalia," he added.
"We say Bismillah for our first overseas deep-sea drilling operation that goes beyond our borders," the minister said.
According to the Energy Ministry, the Çağrı Bey is set to drill at the well named "Curad-1" off Somalia and is expected to operate at a depth of 7,500 meters (over 24,600 feet) over a period of 288 days.
The ministry has described the campaign as Türkiye’s first deep-sea exploration drilling activity abroad. Türkiye, in recent years, has also boosted efforts at home for the exploration and production of both oil and gas.
The drilling location was selected after the Turkish seismic research vessel Oruç Reis had earlier spent months collecting data across three offshore blocks in Somali waters.
Türkiye enjoys close relations with the Horn of Africa nation, with energy being one of the domains of their multifaceted cooperation.
