Somalia hopes for year-end results from Türkiye-led offshore drilling

Somalia expects positive results by the end of the year from offshore oil and gas drilling operations with Türkiye, according to a senior official.

Mogadishu is also looking to deepen cooperation with Ankara in the mining sector, Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Dahir Shire Mohamed said.

Türkiye’s deep-sea drilling vessel Çağrı Bey arrived off the coast of Mogadishu last month to launch the country’s first overseas deep-sea oil exploration project.

The start of the drilling operation came after Türkiye completed seismic surveys off the Somali coast, which Mohamed says has moved the two countries into a new phase of their energy partnership.

“The cooperation between Somalia and Türkiye on hydrocarbons is now entering the second phase, where we are doing the drilling,” the minister told Anadolu Agency (AA).

Mohamed said seismic data collection had been completed, analyzed and interpreted, and drilling of the first offshore well was now underway.

The planned well will reach a depth of 7,500 meters (24,600 feet), making it one of the deepest offshore drilling operations in the world.

Mohamed said the project reflected the commitment of the two governments and the close relationship between Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

“We are very positive that we will have some positive outcome towards the end of this year,” Mohamed said.

While declining to speculate about the size of potential reserves, Mohamed said Somalia expected encouraging results once drilling operations and technical evaluations are completed.

Mohamed said any commercial discovery could play a major role in Somalia’s economic development through job creation and investment.

He added that training and knowledge transfer were also key parts of the agreement between the two countries.

“As part of the memorandum of understanding, local expertise should be trained through on-the-job experience,” Mohamed said. “At the end of the day, Somalis should be able to do the work currently being done by (foreign) experts.”

From humanitarian support to strategic partnerships

Mohamed described Türkiye as a “brotherly country” that had stood by Somalia since the 2011 humanitarian crisis and said ties had expanded steadily over the past decade.

“Türkiye came to Somalia when the country was in dire need of assistance,” he said, and added that since then, “Türkiye has never left Somalia.”

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar (R) and Somalia's Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Dahir Shire Mohamed meet during the Istanbul Natural Resources Summit, Istanbul, Türkiye, May 22, 2026. (DHA Photo) — Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar (R) and Somalia’s Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Dahir Shire Mohamed meet during the Istanbul Natural Resources Summit, Istanbul, Türkiye, May 22, 2026. (DHA Photo)

He said cooperation had evolved from humanitarian support and security assistance to strategic energy and mining partnerships.

“We are also expecting agreements in mining as Somalia is known to have deposits of critical minerals and other important minerals,” Mohamed said.

Türkiye’s technical expertise

During a meeting in Istanbul with Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Mohamed said the two sides discussed accelerating cooperation under a 2016 mining memorandum of understanding (MoU).

“We want to review that MoU and see where we can start,” he said. “At least (we want) to form a technical committee to review the data we have.”

Mohamed said Somalia holds extensive mineral resources, ranging from silica sand to uranium, and that Türkiye’s technical expertise could help map and develop those reserves.

“Our country has plenty under the ground,” he said. “We want to extract and develop them in a peaceful, reasonable, and friendly way.”

Mohamed said that energy cooperation between the two countries could also contribute to regional energy security.

“When you look at the energy crisis in the world, it is very clear that no country can do energy security on its own,” he said. “Depending on one single source is also challenging, so there should be diversified and different routes that can guarantee the energy security of a country.”

Deepening energy ties

Türkiye and Somalia have expanded ties significantly since 2011 across defense, infrastructure, health, education and trade, with energy cooperation emerging as one of the most strategic areas of partnership.

Under a hydrocarbons exploration and production agreement between the two countries, Türkiye’s Oruc Reis carried out seismic surveys off Somalia’s coast that identified promising offshore structures.

Following the survey phase, deep-water drilling operations began in April at the Curad-1 well. The drilling campaign, conducted by Türkiye’s Cagri Bey drilling vessel, is expected to continue for six to nine months, depending on weather and sea conditions.

The project marks a new phase in Türkiye’s growing energy presence in the Horn of Africa, while both countries are also seeking to expand cooperation into mining and onshore resource development.

DAILYSABAH