Euractiv.com with AFP Est. 3min 09-08-2022 A handout photo made available by the Turkish President Press Office shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan poses in front of the drilling vessel Abdulhamid Han's ceremony of first mission at the Tasucu Port in Mersin, Turkey, 9 August 2022. [Handout photo/EPA/EFE] Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>> Languages: SlovakPrint Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Turkey on Tuesday (9 August) sent its newest drill ship on the first eastern Mediterranean energy exploration mission in nearly two years. The search for natural gas in energy-rich waters around the divided island of Cyprus has turned into an irritant in Turkey’s ties with the European Union. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the Abdulhamid Han drill ship — the fourth built by Turkey — will be sent to an undisputed area about 55 kilometres (34 miles) south of the city of Gazipasa. Turkey prepares to drill for gas off Cyprus early next month Turkey will resume gas exploration off its coast in the Mediterranean on 9 August, the energy ministry said Tuesday (26 July). But he also brushed aside Greek and Cypriot objections to such missions and said Turkey had the right to search for energy in areas it claims as its own. The Abdulhamid Han is “the symbol of Turkey’s new vision in the area of energy,” Erdoğan said at the sending off ceremony in the southern city of Mersin. “I am excited.” Tensions rose between Ankara and Brussels in 2020 after Turkey sent a seismic research vessel and a drill ship into contested waters claimed by Greece and Cyprus. A Greek and a Turkish warship that were shadowing one of the exploration missions became entangled in a small collision in the Mediterranean that August. The designated area for Abdulhamid Han is north of Cyprus and well-removed from disputed regions of the sea. But Erdoğan warned that Turkey reserved the right to search for gas in disputed waters claimed by Ankara. “Our ship will not stop, she will go to other wells and continue to search (for gas) until she finds it,” Erdoğan defiantly said. “The drilling work we do in the Mediterranean is within our own jurisdiction. We don’t need anyone’s permission.” Turkish media reported that the ship would be exploring gas until 7 October. Energy-hungry Turkey is dependent on outside sources to meet its growing needs. Russia accounted for about a quarter of Turkey’s oil imports and 45% of its natural gas purchases last year. “The sooner we can increase our natural gas and oil resources, which have turned into weapons in the global economic crisis, the more advantage we will gain in this critical process,” Erdoğan said. “It will help us both reduce our energy dependency and close our current account deficit.” Read more with Euractiv Two more grain ships leave Ukraine, bringing total to 12 under new dealTwo more grain-carrying ships left Ukraine's Chornomorsk port on Tuesday (9 August), Turkey's defence ministry said, as part of a deal to unblock Ukrainian sea exports, bringing the total to leave the country under a safe passage deal to 12. Subscribe now to our newsletter EU Elections Decoded Email Address * Politics Newsletters