Türkiye's Oruc Reis conducted seismic studies in Somali waters

Türkiye's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has announced that the Oruc Reis vessel has completed 50 percent of the seismic studies in the Somali seas.

Türkiye's seismic exploration vessel, Oruc Reis, docked at Mogadishu seaport last October for its mission to explore oil and natural gas off Somalia's coast.

Bayraktar met with Somalia's new Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Dahir Shire Mohamed and his delegation in Istanbul, the Turkish minister said in a post on X on Friday.

The two ministers "discussed the next process of exploration activities and new collaborations that we can develop on land."

Bayraktar also announced the launch of a new cooperation process in mining with Somalia following the meeting.

"We will continue our efforts to bring our cooperation in energy and mining to a level worthy of the close and sincere relations between our countries," he added.

Oruc Reis is conducting thee-dimensional seismic studies in Somali waters, gathering data for oil and natural gas exploration over a period of approximately six to seven months.

This data will be analysed in the Turkish capital Ankara to identify potential drilling sites.