Türkiye's seismic research vessel Oruç Reis has arrived off the coast of Somalia as it prepares to begin searching for oil and natural gas, a senior official announced on Friday, after the countries agreed on energy cooperation.

"Oruc Reis has reached its mission location after its journey across continents," Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on social media platform X.

Bayraktar, along with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, was scheduled to attend the welcoming ceremony for the seismic research vessel later on Friday.

The ship sailed for Somalia earlier this month to conduct seismic surveys for oil and natural gas in three areas where Türkiye has secured exploration licenses.

The Oruç Reis will carry out three-dimensional seismic studies. The mission is expected to last approximately seven months and will involve collecting seismic data for both oil and natural gas.

The data is planned to be analyzed in Ankara to identify potential drilling sites.

In March, Türkiye signed an offshore oil and natural gas cooperation deal with Somalia, further strengthening bilateral ties.

The agreements envisaged oil exploration and production and allowed the national oil company Turkish Petroleum to obtain licenses for three areas in the Somali seas.

The deal includes transportation, distribution, refining, sales and services operations of oil and other products from land and sea projects.

The Oruç Reis is expected to explore areas covering ​​approximately 5,000 square kilometers (1,930 square miles).

Bayraktar earlier said Turkish Petroleum has exploration licenses in a maritime jurisdiction area divided into three fields covering a total of 15,000 square kilometers.

Türkiye has become a close ally of the Somali government. It has built schools, hospitals and infrastructure and provided scholarships for Somalis to study in Türkiye.

In 2017, Türkiye opened its biggest overseas military base in Mogadishu. It also provides training to the Somali military and police.

In February, Türkiye signed a defense and economic cooperation agreement with Somalia and will provide maritime security support to help the African country defend its territorial waters.