Somalia to drill Curad-1 offshore well 275 kilometers off coast, minister says

Sunday April 12, 2026

Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia is on the verge of its first offshore deep-water drilling campaign, with Petroleum and Minerals Minister Dahir Shire Mohamed saying Saturday that the Curad-1 exploratory well will be drilled in Galmudug State, far out at sea between Mareeg and Harardheere and roughly 275 kilometers (171 miles) from land.

Shire stressed that the site sits in deep waters well beyond the coast, describing the operation as taking place “very far from land.”

“Curad-1 will be drilled offshore in Galmudug State, specifically between Mareeg and Harardheere,” Dahir Shire said. “It is very far from land, about 275 kilometers away.”

The announcement follows the arrival in Mogadishu of the Turkish drillship Çağrı Bey, which is expected to launch Somalia’s first offshore deep-water drilling effort.

According to Türkiye’s Energy and Natural Resources Ministry, the vessel will drill the Curad-1 well to a depth of about 7,500 meters (24,600 feet). The project is projected to take 288 days.

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has called the mission Türkiye’s first overseas deep-sea drilling operation, presenting it as a major step in Ankara’s wider push to expand its energy footprint abroad.

The drilling campaign builds on seismic surveys carried out in Somali waters under a bilateral energy agreement signed by Mogadishu and Ankara in 2024, which covers both onshore and offshore exploration blocks.

Somali officials say the initiative could prove transformational for an economy long hampered by instability and weak domestic revenues. They argue that a commercial discovery would open the door to higher state income, fresh foreign investment and greater fiscal independence.

The government has also said any future hydrocarbon revenue will be handled transparently and directed toward social services and development projects.

Curad-1 will be the first well drilled under Somalia’s renewed offshore exploration drive, a milestone in the country’s efforts to determine the value of its largely untapped maritime energy reserves.