Türkiye has authorized a French-flagged research vessel to conduct seabed surveys for a planned electricity interconnector linking Greece and Greek Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean following intensive diplomatic negotiations.
“Marine scientific research supporting submarine cable laying will be conducted along two specified lines within the Turkish NAVTEX service area and Turkish continental shelf. Work will be carried out by the vessel Abeille Marengo between 10 Nov 2026 and 19 Mar 2027,” read a NAVTEX issued by Türkiye late on Nov. 11.
The NAVTEX authorization enables the French-flagged vessel to begin seabed surveys within the Turkish continental shelf in the eastern Mediterranean, an area where Ankara and Athens remain in an ongoing dispute over maritime boundaries.
Greece, in a separate NAVTEX late on Nov. 10, argued that the Turkish notification was null and void as the coordinates covered by the Turkish NAVTEX fall within Greece’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.
Türkiye and France engaged in intense negotiations over the wording and coordinates of a Turkish NAVTEX, aiming to resume seabed surveys for the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) project.
The GSI project aims to construct the world’s longest and deepest undersea high-voltage electricity cable, connecting the power grids of Greece and Cyprus. An approximately 900-kilometer-long subsea cable will be laid from Crete to Greek Cyprus at a cost of 2 billion euros, with roughly one-third of the funding provided by the European Union.
The project also plans to expand the electric link to Israel.
Türkiye has emphasized that it does not oppose civilian or energy projects in the Eastern Mediterranean, provided that the parties involved respect Turkish sovereignty in the region. Türkiye has also proposed establishing an electricity link to Cyprus that would supply power to both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots.
