Turkey’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, said that the Çağrı Bey oil drilling vessel will arrive in Somalia on Friday, where it will begin its first offshore drilling operation.
“On Friday, our Çağrı Bey will arrive in Somalia. We will begin the first offshore drilling operation in Somalia with this vessel. God willing,” Bayraktar said.
The Turkish Energy Minister said that the oil extracted from Somalia will be implemented in a project that will greatly benefit Somalia, East Africa, and Turkey.
The new deepwater drilling vessel departed from the southern province of Mersin on February 15, 2026, heading to Somalia to begin its offshore drilling operation.
Bayraktar also said that this vessel is the second to be deployed by Turkey to Somali waters, noting that it was followed by the Oruç Reis. He added that Çağrı Bey is the first drilling vessel that Turkey has operated outside its territorial waters.
Turkey has strong cooperation with Somalia, including in energy, defense and infrastructure investment. The two governments have signed several memorandums of understanding on cooperation in recent years.
