Turkey sent its deep-sea drilling vessel Cagri Bey to Somalia on Sunday for what its energy minister said would be Ankara's first offshore exploration mission outside its maritime zone.
Describing the move as a "historic moment" in Turkey's oil and gas exploration efforts, Alparslan Bayraktar said the vessel would begin drilling in April at the Curad-1 well off Somalia.
"For the first time, our deep-sea drilling ship is setting out on a mission beyond (our maritime zone)," Bayraktar said at a ceremony at Tasucu port in the southern province of Mersin.
He said Cagri Bey, which recently joined Turkey's drilling fleet, was expected to reach Somalia in about 45 days, adding that it would be escorted by three Turkish naval warships.
Turkey aims to produce 500,000 barrels per day of oil or equivalent hydrocarbons by 2028, Bayraktar said, adding that Ankara expects to double that amount through discoveries and production-sharing agreements abroad.
Cagrı Bey, one of the new twin drilling ships added to Turkey’s energy fleet, arrived in Mersin on September 30 last year.
Drilling will be undertaken at a location approximately 370 kilometers from Mogadishu, at a total depth of 7,500 meters.
(Reuters and staff)
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