Turkey sends Oruc Reis seismic vessel back to East Med

Turkey has issued a new Navtex saying that the Turkish ship Oruc Reis will carry out a seismic survey in the eastern Mediterranean over the next ten days. 

Two other vessels, the Ataman and Cengiz Han along with Oruc Reis exploration ship will continue works in an area including the south of Greek island of Kastellorizo, or Meis, until October 22, the maritime notice said.

The two countries are at odds over overlapping claims for hydrocarbon resources in the region. The foreign ministers of Turkey and Greece met last week and agreed to hold bilateral talks on the disputes.

Despite opposition from Greece and some other countries, Turkey has repeatedly extended its research vessel Oruc Reis’s energy exploration in an area within Turkey’s continental shelf, with the latest announced on August 31, this time to last until September 12.

The Oruc Reis was pulled back to shore last month for planned maintenance work and officials said it would return to the eastern Mediterranean to continue its work right after the process. 

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Greece has contested Turkey's current energy exploration activities in the eastern Mediterranean, trying to box in Turkish maritime territory based on small islands near the Turkish coast.

Turkey, the country with the longest coastline in the Mediterranean, has sent out drill ships to explore for energy on its continental shelf, asserting the rights of Ankara and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the region.

Turkey has stressed dialogue to reach fair sharing of the region’s resources, and military delegations from both sides are engaged in a series of NATO-hosted technical talks since September 10.

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