Turkey has issued a navigational warning known as a NAVTEX for the Oruç Reis research vessel to conduct seismic surveys through August 30 along the proposed route of an undersea natural gas pipeline linking its southern coast to northern Cyprus, Bloomberg HT reported Wednesday, citing Bloomberg News.
The vessel had left the port of Silifke on July 20, two days before the maritime notice was issued, prompting Greek authorities to monitor its movements, the Greek newspaper To Vima reported.
The surveys are the first publicly reported offshore work since Turkey and Turkish Cypriot authorities signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on July 10 to advance the project, which Ankara aims to put into operation in 2028.
The planned 101-kilometer route would run from Anamur in the southern Turkish province of Mersin to the Teknecik power station east of Kyrenia in northern Cyprus. Of the total, 97 kilometers would pass under the Mediterranean and four kilometers would be on land, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said at the signing ceremony.
The design calls for two parallel 22-inch pipelines that could transport natural gas in either direction, according to the Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Ministry. Turkey plans first to supply power plants in northern Cyprus that now burn liquid fuel. Ankara says the reverse route could later carry gas produced near the island to Turkey and potentially onward to Europe.
Bayraktar said in May that Turkey aimed to finish the engineering work by the end of 2026 and begin operating the pipeline in 2028. Turkish officials have not publicly disclosed its projected cost or capacity, how construction would be financed, which side would bear the expense or whether environmental and commercial feasibility assessments have been completed.
The July 10 MOU was signed by Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ünal Üstel. It covers pipelines, receiving terminals and auxiliary facilities needed to provide northern Cyprus with access to natural gas, the ministry said.
The project has prompted objections from the Republic of Cyprus and the European, which do not recognize the Turkish Cypriot state in the north.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), declared in 1983, is recognized only by Turkey. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish forces took control of the north after a coup backed by Greece sought to unite the island with Greece. The Republic of Cyprus controls the south and is internationally recognized as the government of the island.
The Cypriot Foreign Ministry condemned the MOU as illegal and said it viewed the project as part of an effort to consolidate Turkey’s control of the north and increase its integration with Turkey. Nicosia argues that Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot administration cannot conclude agreements affecting the sovereignty or maritime rights of the Republic of Cyprus.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas addressed the project after a meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers on Monday. “The EU expects Ankara to respect the sovereignty and sovereign rights of all EU Member States,” Kallas said.
Üstel rejected the EU criticism and accused the bloc of aligning itself with the Greek Cypriot position. Turkish Cypriot officials say they have the right to make decisions concerning their energy supply and economic development.
The pipeline is also tied to a dispute over energy resources and maritime jurisdiction in the eastern Mediterranean. Ankara says Turkish Cypriots have equal rights to the island’s offshore resources and rejects decisions made by the Republic of Cyprus on behalf of the whole island. The Greek Cypriot government and the EU maintain that the Republic of Cyprus holds sovereign rights in its waters.
The use of the Oruç Reis and a NAVTEX is likely to draw attention because the vessel was at the center of a 2020 standoff between Turkey and Greece over overlapping claims in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey sent the ship into contested waters for seismic research as Turkish and Greek warships monitored the operation. Bloomberg HT described the new mission as survey work along the planned pipeline route.
The announcement also comes days before United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is due to visit Cyprus from July 27 to 29 for talks with Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman aimed at advancing the island’s stalled peace process.