Somalia and Türkiye have signed an agreement about the exploration of hydrocarbons in Somalia’s territorial waters.
In January, an MoU was signed between Ethiopia and Somaliland. Somaliland is internationally recognized part of Somalia. Ethiopia is a landlocked country and has been using Djibouti’s ports for decades. This MoU stated that Somaliland will let Ethiopia use its ports and Ethiopia will build a navy base in Somaliland and in return Ethiopia will recognize Somaliland as country and will give shares in its profitable entity to Somaliland.
Somalia rejected the MoU calling it a violation of its territorial integrity and sovereignty. It threatened that it will do anything to stop this MoU. Both parties Somaliland and Ethiopia said that MoU will turn into an agreement soon but it has been 7 months, still there is no sign of signing of final agreement.
To counter this MoU, Somalia signed an agreement with Türkiye. According to the agreement, Turkiye will train Somalia’s forces and in return Turkey will get a share of Somalia’s under water resources. Now Somalia has signed a new agreement with Turkey about exploration of hydrocarbon.
This week, Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) and the Somali Petroleum Authority signed this hydrocarbon exploration and production agreement. This agreement grants TPAO the rights to explore and potentially produce oil across three maritime blocks within Somalia’s territorial waters. The signing ceremony was attended by Türkiye’s Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, and Somalia’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Mr. Abdirizak Omar.
The agreement authorizes TPAO to conduct exploration activities in three blocks, each covering an area of 5,000 square kilometers. These blocks are located 50 to 100 kilometers offshore, with water depths ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 meters. The overall operation will involve drilling up to 4,000 meters beneath the seabed, totaling 7 kilometers from the sea surface.
“We have signed a production sharing agreement for three blocks in Somalia’s offshore,” said Minister Bayraktar. “Our General Manager of Turkish Petroleum signed this agreement on behalf of Türkiye. This gives Türkiye exclusive authority to explore and, if successful, to produce oil in these areas.”
The initial phase will involve conducting 3D seismic surveys, with the Oruç Reis vessel scheduled to begin operations in late September or early October this year. This crucial seismic study will last several months, aiming to identify potential drilling sites.
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