Turkish amphibious forces are providing armed protection for TPAO's deep-sea drilling vessel Çağrı Bey as it operates in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia, in what Ankara has described as the country's first overseas deepwater energy mission.
The Çağrı Bey arrived off Mogadishu on April 9, 2026, to begin Somalia's first offshore deep-sea oil operations under the protection of a Turkish naval task group. The deployment brings together combat vessels and amphibious landing forces in a security arrangement that merges energy policy with military power projection.
The flotilla includes the frigates TCG Gökova and TCG Bafra along with the amphibious ship TCG Sancaktar, deployed to protect the Çağrı Bey as it conducts exploration in Somali maritime jurisdictions. The TCG Sancaktar is a Bayraktar-class tank landing ship capable of carrying and deploying marines and amphibious assault units. The fleet is tasked with protecting the drilling crew and maintaining a security perimeter around the exploration site, located 372 kilometers off the Somali coast.
Turkey's Ministry of National Defence confirmed the mission following a parliamentary vote to extend the navy's regional mandate. Ministry spokesperson Zeki Aktürk said the mission would support the Somali-Turkish Task Force Command during operations across the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, and off the Somali coast.
The Çağrı Bey is a seventh-generation ultra-deep drillship and one of the most capable vessels of its kind afloat. It is 228 meters long and was built in South Korea in 2024, delivered to the Turkish Petroleum Corporation in late 2025. The vessel is positioned in waters roughly 3,500 meters deep and is tasked with drilling down to an estimated depth of 7,500 meters. If successful, the Curad-1 well will be the second-deepest offshore well in the world. Operations are scheduled to continue for 288 days, with around 500 personnel rotating through the mission.
The well is named "Curad," the Somali word for firstborn child. It sits within Block 153, roughly 370 kilometers north of Mogadishu in the Indian Ocean.
The journey to reach the site was not straightforward. The Çağrı Bey completed a 45-day voyage around the African continent, deliberately avoiding the Suez Canal and the Red Sea due to security concerns linked to ongoing instability in West Asia. It was accompanied by supply vessels Altan, Korkut, and Sancar, and protected by a Turkish naval task force throughout the transit.
Turkey's Ministry of Defence confirmed the deployment of elite troops to Somalia to protect offshore oil exploration operations, specifically targeting the security of the Çağrı Bey. The troop deployment is part of a broader military buildup. In late January 2026, Turkey deployed F-16 fighter jets to Somalia, marking the first time Turkish combat aircraft have been stationed in the country. In February 2026, Turkey also dispatched M48 and M60 tanks through the streets of Mogadishu after they were unloaded from a Turkish Navy landing ship.
The legal basis for the security operation rests on two agreements. A Defense and Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, signed in Ankara in February 2024, authorizes Turkey to protect Somali territorial waters against external threats. A separate maritime security agreement signed in February 2026 provides for the establishment of a joint naval force for ten years to combat piracy and protect Turkish vessels, and allows Turkish energy ships including the Çağrı Bey to operate under military protection.
Turkey's state energy company TPAO holds exclusive rights to explore the area under an earlier commercial deal. A hydrocarbon development agreement signed in 2024 granted TPAO the right to explore three offshore blocks of around 5,000 square kilometers each. In late 2024, the Turkish research vessel Oruç Reis conducted seismic surveys across the three blocks, collecting 3D data over 4,465 square kilometers, which is now being analyzed in Ankara.
Turkey's combined domestic and overseas oil production currently stands at around 180,000 barrels per day. Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has said the longer-term goal is to build TPAO into a company capable of producing 1 million barrels of oil and gas equivalent per day.
The drilling operation is expected to last between six and nine months, depending on climate and weather conditions. Bayraktar noted the fleet will have to contend with sea conditions and rainfall during the monsoon season.
Somalia's coastline stretches more than 3,300 kilometers and borders both the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Ankara views Mogadishu as a nexus where energy, security, and maritime route considerations intersect. Somalia has been attempting to identify its first commercial oil and gas field for several years, and the current mission represents its most advanced attempt yet.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud and Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar attended a high-level welcoming ceremony at the Port of Mogadishu when the vessel arrived in April.