A French-flagged vessel has begun seabed surveys in the eastern Mediterranean for a planned electricity interconnector linking Greece and Greek Cyprus, following intensive diplomatic negotiations between Ankara and Paris.
The French vessel Abeille Marengo set sail earlier this week after Türkiye authorized it to conduct research activities in the region.
The approval followed negotiations between Turkish and French officials over the wording and coordinates of a NAVTEX notice issued by Türkiye for the resumption of seabed surveys under the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) project.
The vessel began its operations late on Nov. 12, while Turkish and Greek naval frigates were also operating in the vicinity.
The Turkish frigate TCG Gökova and the Greek frigate Limnos were monitoring the area as the French vessel proceeded with its survey activities.
When the research vessel entered Türkiye’s continental shelf, the TCG Gökova issued a radio warning.
The message was consistent with a notice published late on Nov. 10 by the Turkish Navy’s Antalya hydrographic station.
The GSI project envisages the construction of an approximately 900-kilometer undersea high-voltage electricity cable connecting Crete to Greek Cyprus.
With an estimated cost of 2 billion euros, the project is designed to become the world’s longest and deepest subsea electricity interconnector. The European Union is expected to finance approximately one-third of the total cost.
The initiative also envisages a possible extension of the electricity link to Israel.
Türkiye has repeatedly stated that it does not object to civilian or energy-related projects in the eastern Mediterranean, provided that they respect its sovereignty and maritime jurisdiction in the region.
Ankara has also put forward its own proposal for an electricity interconnector to Cyprus, which it says would provide electricity to both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots.
