Turkey and Somalia Finalize Landmark Offshore Energy Exploration and Production Contract

Turkey’s state petroleum corporation, Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı (TPAO), has signed a definitive offshore exploration and production-sharing agreement (PSA) with the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of the Federal Republic of Somalia, according to reporting from Al Jazeera and Reuters.

The landmark natural resources contract awards TPAO exclusive rights for exploration, development, and commercial extraction across three maritime concession blocks. The designated offshore area encompasses roughly 15,000 square kilometers in Somali territorial waters, marking a substantial expansion of bilateral energy trade and investment between Ankara and Mogadishu.

Under the contractual framework established by the two governments, Turkey has initiated operations by dispatching its advanced seismic research vessel, the Oruç Reis, to conduct comprehensive offshore geological surveys. According to Daily Sabah, the deployment operates under an overarching bilateral maritime resource development framework designed to evaluate potential oil and natural gas reserves.

Production-sharing contracts of this scale establish legal, commercial, and technical parameters governing resource extraction, risk allocation, and revenue sharing between sovereign nations and international state-owned energy corporations. The agreement structures the terms under which capital investment, offshore exploration technologies, and logistical capabilities will be deployed in East African maritime zones.

According to Al Jazeera and Reuters, the finalized cross-border contract reflects Turkey’s strategic intent to expand its international energy exploration footprint while supporting infrastructure and resource monetization in Somalia. The commercial arrangement also provides a formal regulatory structure for long-term maritime resource management, maritime security coordination, and international upstream energy commerce.