Türkiye deploys warships to Somali waters VIDEO

Units of the Somali Naval Task Force have reached the coastal waters of Somalia.

The Turkish Ministry of National Defence shared a post on social media platform X, saying the warships TCG GÖKOVA, TCG GEDİZ, and TCG Üsteğmen Arif Ekmekçi are currently escorting the research vessel Oruc Reis along with support ships, Caliber.Az reports.

“Açık Denizlerin Koruyucu Gücü”

TCG GÖKOVA, TCG GEDİZ ve TCG ÜTĞM. ARİF EKMEKÇİ’den oluşan “Somali Deniz Görev Grubu” unsurları, R/V ORUÇ REİS araştırma gemisi ve destek gemileri ile birlikte Somali yaklaşma sularına ulaştı.

Ruhsatı alınmış 3 deniz yetki alanında petrol ve… pic.twitter.com/ovjMdUtcnh

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) October 26, 2024

The ministry stated, “Our duty to escort the Oruc Reis vessel, which will continue its oil and natural gas exploration activities in three licensed maritime jurisdictions, continues uninterruptedly.”

The deployment aims to protect a Turkish energy research vessel that will explore and drill for energy sources in Somalia’s exclusive economic zone, as required by a recent agreement between Ankara and Mogadishu.

Under a deal signed between Türkiye and Somalia earlier this year, Ankara is authorized to protect Somali waters against external threats and has been granted the rights to explore and drill for energy sources in Somalia’s coastline.

By Vafa Guliyeva