"Grave concern" as second Turkish drillship arrives off Cyprus coast

A second Turkish ship, named Yavuz, which is planning to drill for oil and gas, arrived in the coastal waters to the northeast of Cyprus on Monday, triggering a vocal protest from Nicosia and causing consternation in Brussels. Politicians in Nicosia see the move by Turkey as an infringement on the country's sovereign rights.

In a statement, European Commission Vice-President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini said: “Turkey’s declared intention to illegally conduct a new drilling operation northeast of Cyprus is of grave concern.” 

“This second planned drilling operation, two months after the start of the ongoing drilling operations west of Cyprus, is a further unacceptable escalation which violates the sovereignty of Cyprus,” the statement continued.

Last month, after pressure from Greece and Cyprus, the European Union warned Turkey following its first drilling attempts to cease drilling for gas in Cypriot waters or face determined action. 

When Turkey sent warships and aircraft to offer "support" to the drilling ship, the move was met with protests from Greece and Cyprus and talk of sanctions by Brussels and Washington DC.

In a move that could inflame tensions even further, the Andalou news agency quoted Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez as saying that Turkey had a licence to drill from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and that drilling would begin within a week.

Cyprus has recently discovered natural gas in areas to the south of the island, although no moves have been made to begin extraction as of yet. 

When Yavuz arrived in Cypriot territorial waters late on Monday night, the President of Cyprus issued a strongly worded statement saying: "This planned second drilling ... is an escalation by Turkey of its repeated violations of Cyprus' sovereign rights based on the UN Law of the Sea and international law, and is a most serious violation of the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus."

The Yavuz drillship, currently located to the north east of the Karpasia peninsula, not far from Lebanon, is the second Turkish vessel to anchor in Cypriot waters in recent months. 

The first vessel to arrive, the Fatih, is currently around 70km to the island's west in an area that Cyprus claims is its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a maritime zone where it has full rights over the natural resources.

There are conflicting claims in certain areas though. Turkey ascertains that some of the areas that have been being explored by Cyprus are on its continental shelf or in areas where both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots have equal rights over any finds.

The government in Nicosia rejects these Turkish claims, claiming that they are not consistent with international law and that Turkey does not accept any international dispute mechanisms to test that in any event.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 following a Turkish invasion in response to a Greek-inspired coup. Various attempts at peacemaking efforts have failed and the discovery of natural resources has only further complicated the negotiations.

Back to Homepage

Back to Energy & Utilities