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Seismic vessel spotted west of Paphos
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ANOTHER SEISMIC vessel, believed to be French-owned and hired by Turkey, was yesterday found close to the Akamas peninsula, moving in straight lines around 50 nautical miles west of the island, it transpired yesterday.
The ship was spotted on the website marinetraffic.com, which tracks ships’ positions in real-time based on received Automatic Identification System data.
According to the ‘Live Ships’ map on the website, the vessel is the Norwegian-flagged
Bergen Surveyor, owned by French-based geophysical services company CGG Veritas.
The map showed the ship moving in an area approximately 50 nautical miles from Akamas, covering around 130km in two straight lines, moving northeast first, then doubling back on itself, moving in a southeasterly direction, close to its original location.
The CGG Veritas website notes that the Bergen Surveyor is an award-winning seismic vessel which belongs to the company.
A Defence Ministry source confirmed last night that the Bergen Surveyor was operating in an area approximately 50 nautical miles west from the Akamas coastline.
The source noted that if the vessel was simply passing through waters west of Paphos, this was not a violation of any laws. However, if it was conducting a seismic survey, then this was a violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea since the vessel had gone beyond the median line separating the waters between Turkey and Cyprus.
Unlike Egypt, Israel and Lebanon, Turkey has not signed any agreement delineating the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) between it and Cyprus. If Turkey and Cyprus were to draw up their respective EEZs, based on the UN Convention, then the area in question would likely be part of Cyprus’ EEZ.
Last month, Turkey announced that it would begin oceanographic explorations around Cyprus after the Cyprus Republic began drilling in its own EEZ, south of the island in Block 12. Turkey signed an agreement delineating its maritime borders with the north’s breakaway regime and sent its ageing vessel the Piri Reis to survey waters that impinge upon some of the 13 blocks dividing Cyprus’ EEZ, including Block 12.
Turkey’s Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said surveys would also be carried out by CGG Veritas off the coast of Antalya (Turkey) and Cyprus.
On September 22, CGG Veritas confirmed to the Cyprus Mail that it had been contracted by the Turkish Petroleum Corporation TPAO to carry out seismic surveys in the Mediterranean, but stressed these would take place in “entirely undisputed waters”.
Hovey Cox, Vice-President of Group Communications for CGG Veritas, said: “TPAO has been very clear with us that they would not ask us to work in disputed waters.”
Without naming the vessel, he said one of its fleet had been outfitted and that seismic surveys were underway in the same “undisputed waters”.
