Turkey has issued a navigational warning that it will send it’s research vessel, Oruc Reis, to carry out seismic surveys of an area in the eastern Mediterranean, between Antalya and Cyprus.
The activities will occur over a six-month period, taking place between September 25, 2022 and March 24, 2023.
Turkey announces six-month survey in East Med with research ship Oruc Reis. Here is the cable. #Greece #Turkey pic.twitter.com/KaSc2FA4yC
— Derek Gatopoulos (@dgatopoulos) September 20, 2022
Seismic surveys serve the purpose of pinpointing and locating the best possible area for oil drilling in the ocean.
The Oruc Reis is currently docked in the Black Sea where it underwent a series of repairs and upgrades. It will sail to the Mediterranean in the next few hours.
During his official visit to the Black Sea port of Filyos on Tuesday, Turkey’s Energy Minister, Fatih Donmez said that the research ship is “capable of performing three-dimensional seismic research.”
Türkiye'nin enerji tarihinin yeni sayfaları Filyos'ta yazılıyor.
— Fatih Dönmez (@fatih_donmez) September 20, 2022
Bütün kahramanlar gerçek, hikaye hayatın ta kendisi. Yılların emeğinin, sabrının ve azminin karşılığı. pic.twitter.com/PyW1PDMb0E
The same research vessel had been deployed in 2020 and 2021 to conduct surveys off the coast of Cyprus and in the Aegean, increasing tensions between Greece, Cyprus and Turkey at the time.
READ MORE: ‘Provocative rhetoric’: Greek and Cypriot FMs slam Turkey’s oil drilling move
