Turkey sent a deep-sea drilling vessel to Somalia on Sunday for what its energy minister said was its first offshore exploration mission abroad, as Ankara cements its ties with in the East African nation.
The South Korean-built Cagri Bey set off from Mersin on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast for a 45-day journey to Somalia, where it will begin drilling at the Curad-1 offshore well in April, Turkey’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar said.
“For the first time, our deep-sea drilling vessel is embarking on a mission outside of Turkey,” Mr Bayraktar said from Tasucu Port in Mersin. The ship held 180 personnel and was accompanied by three Turkish navy vessels, he added.
The Somali Minister of Ports and Maritime Transport, Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, and the Somali Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Dahir Shire Mohamed, also attended the send-off ceremony, Turkey’s Energy Ministry said.
The ship’s departure was a “significant milestone” that underlines the “strengthening strategic partnership between Turkey and Somalia, grounded in mutual trust, co-operation, and a shared commitment to sustainable development,” Somalia’s embassy in Ankara said.
The Cagri Bey’s rig height prevents it from passing through the Suez Canal, meaning it faces a circuitous route across the Mediterranean and around the African coastline via the Cape of Good Hope to reach Somalia.
The Curad-1 well is located 370 kilometres offshore of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu at a depth of 7,500 metres, in one of three exploration blocks for which Turkey and Somalia signed a deal in July 2024. Under that agreement, Turkey gained exclusive rights to explore and produce hydrocarbons in the three blocks, Turkish state media reported at the time. The Cagri Bey can drill at depths of up to 12,000 metres.
Exploration drilling at Curad-1 follows research by another Turkish ship, the Oruc Reis seismic research vessel, which left Turkey for Somalia in October 2024. It collected data on an area covering 4,465 square kilometres that allowed officials to pinpoint the exploration drilling location, Turkey’s Energy Ministry said.
The energy co-operation is one facet of significant political and economic ties between Somalia and Turkey, as Ankara seeks to expand its relations and influence across Africa. That is especially true in the continent’s east, which sits alongside geopolitically crucial shipping lanes, and forms an unofficial frontier between Africa and the Gulf.
Mogadishu is home to Turkey’s largest military base abroad, known as Turksom, from where it trains Somalia’s military, and is a major importer of goods to the country. Turkey exported $356 million worth of goods to Somalia in 2024, mostly wheat products and raw iron, whereas Somalia imported just $21.2 million to Turkey, consisting mostly of computer goods, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, a US based data project.
Last week Mr Mohamed Nur held meetings with major Turkish shipping company Akkon Lines to discuss launching a direct shipping line from Turkey.
“This step will strengthen and boost overall trade volumes,” and “lower transport costs, shorten delivery times, and make cargo movement more reliable,” he said in a statement posted on X.
Alongside Somalia, Egypt, and Djibouti, Turkey condemned Israel’s recognition in December of Somaliland, a self-proclaimed republic on the Gulf of Aden. Israel has been attempting to build out ties in east Africa as it attempts to tackle what it sees as major national security threats from Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, which have launched attacks on Israel. Turkey’s government communications chief said the recognition of Somaliland “further destabilises the balance in the region".
Turkey has also been building out its ties with Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan travelled to Egypt earlier this month as Ankara and Cairo as the countries aim to advance their diplomatic ties to the level of a “strategic partnership” and further co-operate on weapons manufacturing, intelligence-sharing and economic ties.
Following Mr Erdogan’s visit, Turkish Air Force Commander Gen Ziya Cemal Kadioglu visited the Egyptian Air Defence College in Cairo and met officials and cadets, Turkey’s Defence Ministry said
