Turkey has launched an offshore drilling campaign in Somali waters under a 2024 production sharing agreement, dispatching a drillship with naval escort to the Horn of Africa. Drilling operations are scheduled to commence in April.
The vessel, Cagri Bey (formerly West Draco), is operated by Türkiye Petrolerii and has departed for an exploration and production program in the Arabian Sea. At a ceremony marking the departure on Monday, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar confirmed that the ship will sail westward through the Mediterranean and the Strait of Gibraltar, round the Cape of Good Hope, and then proceed north along Africa’s eastern coastline to reach Somalia.
Naval protection will accompany the operation due to the layered security environment in the region. Warships TCG Sancaktar, TCG Gökova and TCG Bafra are assigned to the mission, forming a maritime security element for the duration of offshore activities.
The offshore program follows seismic acquisition carried out in 2024 by Turkey’s survey vessel Oruc Reis, which conducted 3D subsurface surveys off Central Somalia. The campaign lasted nine months before progressing to data interpretation and drilling preparation.
AIS information from Pole Star Global indicates that Oruc Reis concentrated work in two offshore blocks near Central Somalia: one located off Hobyo and another farther south near Mareeg. Both areas are situated several hundred miles from Houthi-related threats in the Gulf of Aden.
Under the 2024 production sharing terms, Turkey is positioned to recover initial project revenues before larger proceeds accrue to the Somali federal government. The agreement forms part of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s broader energy policy aimed at strengthening domestic supply security. Turkey remains reliant on imported energy, particularly natural gas sourced from Russia. Discoveries from drilling activity in the Black Sea within Turkey’s exclusive economic zone have yielded substantial gas volumes, reducing dependence on Russian supplier Gazprom.
The deployment coincides with rising geopolitical sensitivity in the Horn of Africa. At the end of December, Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an independent state, a move opposed by Somalia’s federal authorities and their Turkish partners. The al-Shabaab insurgency continues to challenge the Somali government’s stability, maintaining control over extensive rural territory and operating near the capital.
Last week, Turkey dispatched a squadron of F-16 fighter aircraft to the airport near Mogadishu, and tanks were observed arriving at the port. The arrival of Cagri Bey and its naval escorts expands Turkey’s maritime footprint alongside its existing land and air assets in the country.
