The Turkish research vessel “Oruc Reis”, known in Greece, departs on Saturday for research activities aimed at locating hydrocarbon deposits off the coast of Somalia.
The ship will sail from Istanbul, crossing the Bosphorus, in a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Oruc Reis is expected to stay off Somalia for seven months, during which it will collect data on both gas and oil fields. The data collected from the 3D seismic studies will be analyzed in Ankara and drilling activities will begin at the locations determined according to the results of the surveys. Somalia has granted an exploration license to the Turkish company Turkish Petroleum in 15 thousand square kilometers of sea space.
Together with the “Oruc Reis” three accompanying ships (Zaganos Pasa, Sancar and Ataman) will depart for Somalia.
Turkish Defense Ministry spokesman Rear Admiral Zeki Akturk announced today that the research vessel will be escorted and protected by the Turkish “Somalia Naval Task Force” consisting of the ships TCG Gediz, TCG Gokova and TCG Arif Ekmekci.
It is pointed out that the vice-president and head of defense of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Yanki Baggioglu, had reacted to the dispatch of warships to escort the “Oruc Reis” to Somalia, arguing that “when the security threats are so obvious in our region, sending a portion of our Navy combat elements out of our region is a strategic mistake.”
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