Ankara / Anadolu

The Turkish Navy, through elements of the naval task force deployed in Somalia, continues to provide protection and escort for the exploration vessel "Çağrı Bay" and three support ships "Korkut", "Altın", and "Sincar", according to the Turkish Ministry of Defense.

These operations come within the framework of the growing maritime and energy cooperation between Turkey and Somalia.

This was stated in a post by the ministry on the Turkish platform "In Social" on Tuesday, regarding the group's activities in Somalia.

The ministry explained that the ships "TCG Gökçe", "TCG Gelibolu", and "TCG Bartın" of the Turkish naval task force in Somalia are still performing escort and protection duties for the exploration vessel "Çağrı Bay" and the aforementioned support ships.

The Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources had announced on April 12 that the exploration vessel "Çağrı Bay" left Mogadishu port towards well "Korat-1" to start the first Turkish deep-sea exploration operation abroad, off the Somali coast.

The length of the "Çağrı Bay" ship is 228 meters, its width 42 meters, and its height 114 meters. It is capable of drilling operations down to a depth of 12,000 meters.

This mission represents Turkey's first operational naval presence in the Indian Ocean, reflecting its expanding regional influence. Somalia is considered a strategic area for securing navigation lines and marine resources. Exploration operations are expected to contribute to enhancing economic and energy cooperation between the two countries.