10/4/2024–|Last updated: 10/4/202405:51 PM (Mecca time)
The Turkish ship “Oruc Reis” has completed its preparations before heading, tomorrow, Saturday, to Somalia to explore for energy off its coast.
The ship’s heading to Somalia comes under a memorandum of understanding concluded between the two countries last March, to explore, evaluate, develop and produce oil in the Somali land and sea areas.
Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alp Arslan Bayraktar said that the Oruc Reis ship will head to Somalia to carry out search and exploration operations for oil and gas.
“Oruc Reis” is currently docked in the port of Filios, in Zonguldak Province, northwestern Turkey, where it has completed its final preparations before setting off on Friday for Istanbul, and from there tomorrow towards Somalia.
Oruç Reis is scheduled to conduct seismic research (using seismic waves) in 3 fields licensed for exploration, each of which has an area of 5,000 square kilometers.
During this mission, which is expected to take 7 months, “Oruc Reis” is accompanied by the support and support ships “Zaganos Pasha” and “Sinjar”, the tracking ship “Ataman”, in addition to two frigates belonging to the Turkish Navy.
Oruç Reis ship
- Construction work on Oruc Reis began at the Istanbul docks in 2012, while it officially entered service on March 28, 2015, and headed for its first exploratory mission in the Mediterranean in April 2017.
- The local exploration vessel is 87 meters long and 23 meters wide, and has previously carried out exploration operations using seismic wave techniques in the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea.
- It is one of 6 multi-mission research ships in the world, and contains a locally manufactured, remotely operated submersible vehicle.
- The ship can carry out 3D seismic surveys up to a depth of 8,000 metres, and 2D seismic surveys at a depth of 15,000 metres.
- Its activities include exploration for oil and natural gas and mining, exploration of the continuity of land areas under the sea, earthquake research, tsunami surveying, selection of sites for ports, platforms, submarine cables and pipelines, and detection of sea pollution and climate change.
