Türkiye is set to begin its first deep-sea drilling operation abroad, with the Curad-1 well off Somalia marking a new stage in the country’s energy strategy, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on April 10.
The project centers on a site around 372 kilometers off Mogadishu.
Bayraktar said the well was selected after seismic work by the Oruç Reis vessel pointed to a promising geological structure in Somali waters.
Drilling will be carried out by the Çağrı Bey drillship at a water depth of about 3,495 meters, with the well planned to reach roughly 4,005 meters below the seabed, bringing total depth to around 7,500 meters.
According to the Turkish Energy Ministry, that would make Curad-1 the world’s second-deepest offshore well.
“A new chapter has opened in Turkish energy history and petroleum exploration,” Bayraktar said in Mogadishu..
The operation is expected to last 288 days, with weather conditions in the region likely to remain a key factor.
The campaign will be supported by auxiliary vessels handling logistics and offshore operations, while Turkish naval assets will provide security during the mission.
The Somalia move builds on Türkiye’s broader push to expand its energy exploration capacity with its own fleet.
Turkish officials say the country now has the world’s fourth-largest deep-sea drilling fleet, while gas produced from the Sakarya field in the Black Sea is already supplying around 4 million households.
Bayraktar said the Somalia campaign could open a new chapter both for Türkiye-Somalia ties and for regional energy development. He added that any potential discovery would become clearer in the coming months.
