Turkish drilling ship to start offshore operations in Somalia this week

Monday April 6, 2026

Türkiye’s Çağrı Bey drillship is seen at a port, Mersin, southern Türkiye, Feb. 14, 2026. (AA Photo)

Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia is on the cusp of a historic first in its offshore energy sector, with Türkiye’s drillship Çağrı Bey due to arrive on April 10 to begin the country’s first deep-sea drilling campaign, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said.

Bayraktar, speaking at a gathering in Trabzon on April 4, said he plans to travel to Somalia before the vessel docks.

“With the Çağrı Bey, we will begin the first offshore drilling in Somalia,” he said, noting that any oil or natural gas discovery could bring major economic gains for Somalia, the wider East African region and Türkiye.

The mission stems from an energy exploration agreement Ankara and Mogadishu signed in 2024. It is part of Türkiye’s wider push to broaden its energy supply, cut dependence on imported hydrocarbons and extend its exploration drive beyond national waters.

The Çağrı Bey set sail for Somalia in February and is expected to drill in offshore blocks that were previously mapped by the Turkish seismic research vessel Oruç Reis. Once it begins operations, it will become the first Turkish drillship to work outside Türkiye’s territorial waters.

In recent years, Türkiye has steadily expanded its presence in Somalia through infrastructure investment, security cooperation and economic ties. Somalia’s position along the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden — a vital maritime passage connecting the Red Sea with global shipping routes — has also made the country increasingly important to outside powers.

Türkiye’s offshore drilling experience has been built largely in the Black Sea, especially at the Sakarya Gas Field, where Ankara announced its biggest natural gas find in 2020. Estimated at about 720 billion cubic meters, the field was the world’s largest offshore gas discovery that year and remains a centerpiece of Türkiye’s energy plans.

Somalia’s offshore basin has long been considered promising for hydrocarbons, but years of conflict and political turmoil stalled exploration efforts. The start of drilling now marks a new phase in Somalia’s effort to tap its natural resources despite continuing security and governance hurdles.