Turkey has issued a new NAVTEX authorizing the Oruc Reis to conduct seismic surveys in the Eastern Mediterranean as Ankara prepares a natural gas pipeline linking its southern coast with Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus.
The navigational notice will remain in effect through August 30. According to Bloomberg, the Turkish research vessel will examine the seabed along the proposed route. Data gathered during the mission will support the technical studies, engineering work and preparations required for the undersea project.
Turkey’s NAVTEX covers Oruc Reis survey of 97-Kilometer underwater gas pipeline route
The proposed natural gas transmission line will extend approximately 101 kilometers, or nearly 63 miles, between Anamur, on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, and Teknecik, east of Kyrenia in the occupied north of Cyprus.
Of the total route, 97 kilometers will run beneath the Mediterranean Sea, while the remaining four kilometers will cross land. Turkey’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said the project would include two parallel pipelines, each measuring 22 inches in diameter.
Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot administration signed a memorandum of understanding on July 10. The agreement launched technical studies and preparations for the system, including work on import terminals and supporting facilities.
Turkey plans to supply gas for electricity generation
During the project’s initial phase, Ankara plans to transport natural gas to the occupied north, primarily for electricity generation. Turkish officials argue that the fuel will strengthen energy security and reduce reliance on the liquid fuels currently used by power plants in the northern part of the island. According to Turkey’s Energy Ministry, state-owned companies have supplied those fuels in recent years.
Bayraktar said the planned infrastructure would support a more secure, continuous and affordable electricity supply. Ankara also expects the transition from petroleum products to gas to reduce energy import costs for the Turkish Cypriot administration.
The minister described the project as part of a broader energy transition designed to meet rising electricity demand, including future consumption from electric vehicles and other electrification initiatives.
Bidirectional pipeline could carry regional gas
Ankara’s plans extend beyond supplying the occupied north. Turkey intends to build a bidirectional system that would allow gas to move both northward and southward.
Bayraktar said the infrastructure could eventually transport gas produced around Cyprus to Turkey and then through the Turkish network toward European markets. Turkish media have also presented it as a potential route for resources from other Eastern Mediterranean countries.
Such a role would depend on future discoveries, commercial agreements and the resolution of significant political and maritime disputes in the region. Turkey has not disclosed the project’s estimated construction cost.
Turkey issues NAVTEX as Oruc Reis returns to the Eastern Mediterranean
The Oruc Reis has played a prominent role in Turkey’s offshore exploration strategy. Its seismic missions in the Eastern Mediterranean contributed to a major escalation in tensions between Turkey and Greece in 2020.
During that period, the two countries issued competing NAVTEX notices amid disputes over maritime jurisdiction and hydrocarbon exploration.
Greece maintained that the Turkish surveys entered areas covering its continental shelf and exclusive economic zone. Ankara rejected those claims and asserted its own maritime rights.
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