Türkiye offshore drilling in Somalia nears early completion

Türkiye’s deep-sea oil and gas exploration drilling off the coast of Somalia is progressing ahead of schedule. Abdulkadir Adan, Director General of the Somali Petroleum Authority, stated that the operation could be completed by the end of September, approximately one month earlier than the original October target.

The drilling, conducted at the Curad-1 well approximately 370 kilometers offshore from Mogadishu, has already reached a depth of about 3,000 meters. The project aims to drill approximately 4,000 meters below the seabed, reaching a total depth of 7,500 meters. The operation is being carried out by the seventh-generation ultra-deepwater drillship Çağrı Bey, supported by the Altan, Korkut, and Sancar vessels, with Turkish naval assets providing security.

This project represents Türkiye’s first deep-sea exploration drilling operation outside its own territorial waters. The mission follows an intergovernmental agreement and memorandum of understanding signed between Türkiye and Somalia in March 2024, as well as a production-sharing agreement established in July 2024. Currently, between 470 and 480 personnel are working on the vessels, with Turkish nationals making up roughly 20 percent of the workforce.