Turkey sends Oruch Reis to Cyprus – Exxon Mobil, Qatar Petroleum start drilling in ‘Glafkos’

With a new directive to seafarers, the Antalya hydroelectric station, essentially confirms itself, as it discovers arguments to legitimize the previously issued NAVTEX for Cyprus. Under the new directive, searches in an area between southern Turkey and the Occupied Territories will be extended until 31 January next year. This is an area in which – with some breaks and sometimes slightly further west – the research “Oruç Reis” has been conducting research for the past almost two and a half months.

This action of Ankara comes just 24 hours after it became known by the Minister of Energy, Natasa Pileidou, that at the beginning of next week the drilling is expected to start in the field “Glafkos”, in block 10 of the Cyprus EEZ, by the Exxon Mobil consortium. and Qatar Petroleum, but also the recent licensing of the plot consortium 5.

The initial NAVTEX of the Antalya station announced that the three Turkish naval exploration and drilling ships “Oruç Reis”, “Ataman”, “Cengiz Han” were to conduct surveys in the area of ​​the Cypriot continent until January 22.

The original Navtex

TURNHOS N/W : 1172/21
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
1. SEISMIC SURVEY, BY R/V ORUÇREİS, ATAMAN AND CENGİZHAN UNTIL 312059Z JAN 22 IN AREA BOUNDED BY;
36 03.17 N – 033 05.89 E
35 45.12 N – 033 07.21 E
35 48.48 N – 034 02.12 E
36 05.53 N – 034 00.36 E
6 NM BERTH REQUESTED.
2. CANCEL 0929/21.
3. CANCEL THIS MESSAGE 312159Z JAN 22.

Yesterday’s Navtex

TURNHOS N/W: 1185/21
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
1. THE “CYPRUS”[1] MENTIONED IN LARNACA NAVWARN NR MA26-418/21 IS ‘NOT THE ORIGINAL PARTNERSHIP STATE ESTABLISHED IN 1960’.
2. THEREFORE, TURKEY DECLARES THAT THE TERM OF “CYPRUS” NEITHER AMOUNT TO ‘ANY FORM OF RECOGNITION OF THE GREEK CYPRIOT ADMINISTRATION’ NOR PREJUDICE TURKEY’S RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS EMANATING FROM THE TREATY OF GUARANTEE AND THE TREATY OF ESTABLISHMENT OF 1960.
3. THE EFFORTS TO ‘LEGITIMIZE ILLEGAL CLAIMS OF THE GREEK CYPRIOT ADMINISTRATION THROUGH LARNACA NAVWARN MA26-418/21 ARE NULL’ AND NEITHER WAS NOR WILL BE ACCEPTED BY TURKEY.
4. ANTALYA TURK RADIO NAVTEX MESSAGE FA96-1172/21 FOR THE SEISMIC SURVEY IN ‘TURKISH CONTINENTAL SHELF’ IS VALID AND EFFECTIVE. ANTALYA NAVTEX STATION WILL CONTINUE TO PROMULGATE NAVTEX MESSAGES FOR SAFETY OF MARINERS.
5. CANCEL THIS MESSAGE 312200Z JAN 22.

Petros Kranias