05/10/2024
According to the statement made by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the Oruç Reis ship will be sent to Somalia today. Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar will also attend the farewell ceremony.
Oruç Reis will reach the coast of Somalia via the Mediterranean, Suez Canal and Red Sea route. The ship, which is planned to be off the coast of Somalia towards the end of October, will carry out seismic work for oil and natural gas in 3 licensed maritime jurisdictions. During its mission, the ship will be accompanied by two frigates from the navy, as well as Zağanos Pasha Support Ship, Sancar Platform Support Ship and Ataman Pursuit Ship.
Oruç Reis will carry out three-dimensional seismic studies specifically for these areas for the first time in 3 license areas off the coast of Somalia. During the activity, which is expected to last approximately 7 months, Oruç Reis will collect data for both natural gas and oil. The collected data will be analyzed in Ankara and drilling operations will begin in determined locations depending on the results.
Minister Bayraktar, whose views were included in the statement, stated that Turkish Petroleum has an exploration license in a 15 thousand square kilometer maritime area in Somalia and said, "In this context, the first step of the exploration is seismic activity. Together with our President, we will send Oruç Reis to Somalia to carry out seismic studies. "We foresee that Oruç Reis will conduct a 3D seismic study, which has never been done before, in the designated maritime jurisdiction area. We anticipate that the area where Oruç Reis will work is an oil-spotted region." he said.
*Features of the ship*
Built in shipyards in Turkey, Oruç Reis was launched and started working in 2017 as a result of the efforts of Turkish engineers, technicians and workers in all stages from design to production. The ship, which was specially designed for the purpose of carrying out geophysical, geological, oceanographic and hydrographic studies, has a length of 87 meters, a width of 23 meters and a height of 34 meters.
Oruç Reis Ship is on its way to Somalia today
Oruç Reis, which has 4x2.520 kW diesel electric engine power, can perform two- and three-dimensional seismic research in undersea oil and natural gas exploration activities. Oruç Reis, who has carried out many seismic activities in the seas to date, collected three-dimensional and two-dimensional data in a total area of 23 thousand square kilometers.
This year, Türkiye and Somalia signed memorandums of understanding between ministries and governments. Within the framework of these agreements, the national oil company Turkish Petroleum received licenses for 3 fields in the Somali seas. The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources plans to carry out seismic activities for the first time in 3 license areas, each representing an area of approximately five thousand square kilometers.
