Turkish research ship may be preparing for activities in the East Med, reports say
Athens is bracing for a joint crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean and on the Cypriot continental shelf, possibly as soon as October, as there are increasing indications and evidence that Turkey is planning to intensify its exploration and drilling activities.
Tellingly, there has been activity in the port of Tasucu in southern Turkey in recent weeks, where the research vessel Oruc Reis is based.
According to well-informed sources, the Oruc Reis has been upgraded, with maximized capabilities, while the range of its survey cables has almost doubled from almost 2.5 kilometers to almost 4 kilometers. Two auxiliary vessels, essential for exploration, which the Turkish Petroleum Company (TPAO) has recently procured, are docked at Tasucu.
Athens is considering a negative, albeit unlikely scenario, whereby, after the 2020 crisis, the Oruc Reis returns to the area defined as “Demre,” in the imaginary triangle created between Rhodes, Karpathos and the Kastellorizo complex, i.e. within the potential exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Greece.
This is due to the fact that the Oruc Reis did not manage to conduct 3D surveys in the area in 2020, only 2D surveys.
The scenario under examination is that should the Turks choose to proceed in this direction, it could include the possibility that Ankara will combine it with the simultaneous advancement of the Abdulhamid Han drillship in the northern part of Block 6 of the Cypriot EEZ.
Given that the Navtex under which the drilling vessel started operations between Turkey and Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus expires at the beginning of October, the possibility of it operating in Block 6 is being considered.
From the information available to the Greek authorities, it appears that there are indications of natural gas deposits in the area off the Gulf of Antalya where the Abdulhamid Han is operating. At the same time, the Turkish side continued its barrage of inflammatory statements on Friday, this time with regard to the historical terminology of the Asia Minor Catastrophe. At the same time, the Turkish Foreign Ministry continued inflammatory statements on Friday, claiming that Greek authorities are making “unrealistic and absurd statements regarding the term ‘Asia Minor Catastrophe.’”
“[Greece] aims to make the world forget the defeat of the Greek army during the invasion of Anatolia as a result of its adventure 100 years ago and the barbaric crimes committed against humanity,” it said.
