Türkiye’s seismic research vessel Oruç Reis has set sail for Pakistan to conduct oil and gas exploration activities, as Ankara seeks to expand the overseas operations of the state-run Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Nov. 6.
“Our growth strategy envisages making TPAO more active abroad through mergers and acquisitions or partnerships with major oil companies,” Bayraktar told reporters in Istanbul.
“That is why we are conducting drilling operations off the coast of Somalia. We also have plans for Pakistan. Our seismic research vessel Oruç Reis is currently en route to Pakistani waters,” he said.
The minister did not disclose when the vessel had departed or how long it was expected to operate off Pakistan’s coast.
Bayraktar said a memorandum of understanding signed with Libya on the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction areas had opened up additional areas for exploration for both countries, stressing, however, that exploration activities would ultimately be determined by economic considerations.
“Why are we in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Black Sea, Somalia and Pakistan? We may perhaps soon operate in Syria, Iraq or Lebanon’s maritime zones as well, because we need oil and natural gas,” he said.
Asked about the possibility of reactivating the Kirkuk-Baniyas oil pipeline between Iraq and Syria, Bayraktar said energy and mining could serve as instruments of peace and prosperity.
“We need this kind of cooperation to strengthen stability in countries such as Syria and across our region. We do not see the Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline as a threat,” he said.
Bayraktar noted that the Iraq-Türkiye Crude Oil Pipeline had never been operated at full capacity, adding that Ankara had for years proposed extending the pipeline to Basra in southern Iraq.
“We are open to such partnerships and are not concerned about alternative routes, because there is enough market for everyone. We propose increasing the capacity of the Turkish route from 1.5 million barrels per day to 2.5 million barrels. The Syrian route could also reach a capacity of 1 million to 1.5 million barrels per day,” he said.
