Turkey’s Curad-1 offshore drilling operation in Somalia has reached 3,000 metres and could be completed by the end of September, a month earlier than planned.
MOGADISHU, Somalia (Somali Report) — Turkey’s offshore oil and gas drilling operation in Somali waters is progressing faster than initially planned and could be completed by the end of September, Somalia’s Petroleum Authority said.
Abdulqadir Adan, director general of the Somali Petroleum Authority, told the Somali National News Agency (SONNA) that drilling at the Curad-1 well had reached about 3,000 metres and was advancing rapidly without major technical difficulties.
The original plan was to complete drilling in October, but the pace of work has raised the possibility of finishing about a month earlier, Adan said.
“It is possible to finish by the end of September. October was initially set as the completion date,” he said.
Adan said no accidents or technical failures had been recorded so far and that the operation was being conducted in line with safety and technical standards.
Around 470 to 480 people are working aboard the drilling vessel and supporting ships involved in the operation, with Turkish nationals accounting for roughly 20 percent of the workforce, according to the authority.
The deepwater drilling vessel Çağrı Bey is drilling the Curad-1 well about 370 kilometres off the coast of Mogadishu.
The operation aims to drill to around 4,000 metres below the seabed, with the well expected to reach a total depth of approximately 7,500 metres.
It is Turkey’s first deepwater oil exploration drilling operation outside its own waters.
The Çağrı Bey is supported by the vessels Altan, Korkut and Sancar, while Turkish naval forces are involved in securing the ships taking part in the project.
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Somalia and Turkey signed a government-to-government agreement and a memorandum of understanding on oil and gas cooperation in March 2024. A production-sharing agreement covering three offshore exploration blocks followed in July that year.
Turkey’s seismic research vessel Oruç Reis subsequently conducted three-dimensional seismic surveys across an area of about 4,464 square kilometres covering the three blocks.
Following nearly seven months of surveys and data analysis, Curad-1 was selected as the first drilling site after geological structures identified in the area indicated potential for oil or gas deposits.
The Çağrı Bey, built in South Korea in 2024, is 228 metres long and has the capacity to drill to depths of up to 12,000 metres.
The results from Curad-1 are expected to play an important role in assessing the scale and commercial potential of Somalia’s offshore oil and gas resources.
Somalia has long been considered to have significant but largely unexplored offshore hydrocarbon potential. The government has sought to attract international investment to develop its energy sector while strengthening its control over offshore resources.
For Turkey, the operation represents a major expansion of its energy exploration activities overseas and forms part of a broader strategic partnership with Somalia.
If Curad-1 confirms commercially recoverable oil or gas reserves, the discovery could mark a major turning point for Somalia’s energy sector and pave the way for expanded exploration and production activities.
It could also deepen energy cooperation between Mogadishu and Ankara, potentially opening a new phase in the two countries’ economic and strategic partnership.
However, the completion of drilling ahead of schedule does not itself confirm the presence of commercially viable hydrocarbon reserves. The geological data and results obtained from the well will need to be analysed before the scale and economic value of any potential discovery can be established.
About the Author
Ahmed Omar is a senior journalist for Somali Report, based in Mogadishu. He has two decades of experience reporting on Somalia for international and local media. He covers politics, security, governance, business, trade, economic developments and regional affairs.
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