Saturday July 18, 2026
Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s first officially drilled offshore oil well is moving toward a critical stage, with exploration findings from the Curad-1 site expected by the end of 2026 as drilling continues with Türkiye’s state-owned Turkish Petroleum (TPAO).
Located roughly 372 kilometers northeast of Mogadishu, Curad-1 marks Somalia’s first formal offshore drilling venture.
The drilling campaign began after 3D seismic surveys were completed across three offshore blocks, identifying the location for the exploratory well.
Engineers plan to drill nearly 7,500 meters below the seabed, a process that may require up to 288 days and would place Curad-1 among the world’s deepest offshore oil wells.
Petroleum and Minerals Minister Dahir Shire Mohamed said work at the site is ongoing after earlier exploration data was reviewed and analyzed.
He said officials are now concentrating on testing Somalia’s first offshore well.
Türkiye’s Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has called the operation Ankara’s first deep-sea drilling mission outside its borders, describing it as a historic step in Türkiye’s growing international energy exploration program.
Somali authorities see the project as a possible economic watershed for a country that has faced prolonged instability and constrained domestic revenues. A commercial discovery, they say, could increase government income, draw foreign investors and give Somalia greater fiscal independence.
Yet no results have been released to confirm the existence of commercially viable oil reserves.
A full assessment of the well is expected once drilling has concluded.
