Çağrı Bey reaches Somalia
The Çağrı Bey drilling vessel, which will carry out Türkiye’s first deep-sea exploration drilling operation abroad, has arrived in Somalia after a 53-day journey. Following the welcome ceremony to be held tomorrow, the Çağrı Bey will set sail and is expected to reach the CURAD-1 well within 1-2 days. An underwater robot capable of diving to 4,000 meters will also be used for the seabed operations during the drilling operation to be conducted by the Çağrı Bey.
The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, which is preparing to carry out Türkiye’s first deep-sea exploration drilling abroad, has passed an important milestone. The Çağrı Bey Drilling Vessel, which will conduct the drilling operation, has arrived in Somalia after a 53-day journey.
Welcome Ceremony
A welcome ceremony will be held tomorrow at the Port of Mogadishu for Çağrı Bey. The ceremony will be attended by Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, as well as Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Dahir Shire Mohamed, and Minister of Ports and Maritime Transport Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur.
Journey to the Well Will Take 1-2 Days
Following the welcome ceremony, the vessel will set sail for the CURAD-1 well, where it will carry out its operations. It will take 1-2 days for the Çağrı Bey to reach the well location, which is 372 kilometers off the coast of Mogadishu.
Testing Process
Upon reaching the well location, the Çağrı Bey will complete the positioning process. Once positioning is complete, various tests related to the drilling process will be conducted first.
The Second-Deepest Offshore Well
Following the completion of the tests, the Çağrı Bey Drilling Vessel will drill to a total depth of 7,500 meters—reaching 4,005 meters below the seabed at a water depth of 3,495 meters. The CURAD-1 well is expected to become the world’s second-deepest offshore well at a depth of 7,500 meters. The drilling operations by the Çağrı Bey Drilling Vessel in Somalia are expected to last a total of 288 days.
Underwater Robot Capable of Operating at Depths of Thousands of Meters
An underwater robot capable of diving to 4,000 meters will also be used in the drilling operation to be conducted by Çağrı Bey. This drilling operation will go down in history as one of the rare instances where underwater robots used in such operations have reached this depth.
7th Generation Vessel
Completed in South Korea in 2024 and joining Türkiye’s energy fleet, the new vessel Çağrı Bey is capable of drilling up to 12,000 meters in deep waters. Dubbed the “7th-generation ultra-deep-sea drilling vessel,” the ship measures 228 meters in length, 114 meters in height, and 42 meters in width. The vessel, which features a helicopter pad, also provides living quarters for 200 personnel.