The Turkish deep-sea drilling vessel Çağrı Bey has arrived in Somalia for a “historic mission,” marking the start of Ankara’s first overseas deep-sea drilling operation, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announded on April 9.
“The Çagri Bey [ship] has arrived in Somalia for its historic mission,” Alparslan Bayraktar said on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal, adding that the operation would open up “a brand-new chapter in the energy history of both Türkiye and Somalia.”
He said Türkiye is beginning its first overseas deep-sea drilling campaign, adding: “We ask for God’s grace for our first overseas deep-sea drilling operation that goes beyond our borders.”
A ceremony will be held for Çağrı Bey, one of the new deep-sea drilling vessels in Türkiye’s energy fleet, on April 10 in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, to be attended by Bayraktar, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Dahir Shire Mohamed, and Ports and Maritime Transport Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur.
Following the ceremony, the Çağrı Bey will set sail for its drilling location and is expected to carry out its drilling operations for 288 days.
The Çağrı Bey Drilling Vessel will drill to a total depth of 7,500 meters at the CURAD-1 well, reaching that depth after drilling 4,005 meters from the seabed at a point with a water depth of 3,495 meters.
The goal is for the CURAD-1 well to become the world’s second-deepest offshore well at 7,500-meter depth.
A total of 500 field personnel will rotate through the drilling operations, with 180 on the Çağrı Bey, 60 on the support vessels, and 10 in shore-based services. Additionally, naval assets comprising the TCG Sancaktar, TCG Gökova, and TCG Bafra will provide support to the Çağrı Bey to ensure safe operations.
The operations in Somalia were shaped by research conducted by the Oruç Reis seismic research vessel over a period of 234 days in the region. Launched from the Bosphorus Strait to Somalia by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Oct. 5, 2024, Oruç Reis collected data across a total area of 4,464 square kilometers in three separate offshore blocks in Somalia during this period.
Following the analysis and interpretation of the data, a decision was made to conduct drilling operations at a designated location.
Following the drilling decision, Çağrı Bey set sail for Somalia on Feb. 15.
