Libyan Presidential Council Deputy Chairman Musa al-Koni emphasized that the maritime jurisdiction memorandum signed between the two countries is based on international law and customs, and said that most of Libya's resources are unexplored and that Turkey and Libya should accelerate coordination on oil and natural gas exploration and extraction.
Libyan experts also evaluate that the agreement offers a wide range of strategic opportunities, from hydrocarbon exploration to the processing of offshore fields, from making the country a center of attraction for global investments and adding vitality to the national economy.
In 5 questions, the AA correspondent examined Libya's potential energy fields, most of which have not yet been discovered on land and at sea, and Türkiye's deep-sea seismic research power and experience.
What is the extent of Libya's unexplored energy fields on land and sea?
According to the reports of the Libyan National Petroleum Corporation (NOC) and international energy data centers, approximately 70 percent of Libya's land and sea jurisdiction areas have not yet been opened to comprehensive seismic scanning and detailed exploration activities. A large portion of undiscovered energy resources are located in marine areas.
According to NOC and US Geological Survey data, Libya has proven reserves of 48.4 billion barrels of crude oil and approximately 1.5 trillion cubic meters of natural gas.
Libya ranks first in Africa and among the top 10 countries in the world with its existing proven oil reserves. It ranks 21st in the world in terms of proven natural gas reserves.
According to NOC experts, it is estimated that Libya's total oil potential can reach 90 billion barrels if the undiscovered oil fields, mostly offshore, are brought into the economy through seismic scanning.
It is estimated that the undiscovered oil potential in Libya's land and sea jurisdictions is close to its current reserves, and the potential amount of natural gas is at a level exceeding 3 times the current reserves.
How many seismic research vessels does Türkiye have, what are their technical specifications?
Türkiye has become the country with the world's 4th largest and most modern marine energy fleet, with its offshore hydrocarbon exploration and drilling capacity.
With the addition of new drilling ships to the fleet, heralded by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in July 2025, the number of ships in the energy fleet increased to 9, including Fatih, Yavuz, Kanuni, Abdülhamid Han, Çağrı Bey, Yıldırım drilling ships and Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha, MTA Oruç Reis seismic exploration ships and the first floating natural gas production platform Osman Gazi.
The fleet established in line with the strategies carried out under the coordination of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources; It takes an active role in intercontinental projects both in national maritime jurisdictions (Blue Homeland) and within the framework of international partnerships.
MTA Oruç Reis, a fully equipped research ship built by Türkiye with domestic resources, can map geological structures under the seabed to a depth of thousands of meters, thanks to its ability to perform 2D and 3D deep-sea seismic searches.
Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha, the first member of Türkiye's seismic exploration fleet, scanned hundreds of thousands of square kilometers in the Mediterranean and Black Sea with its 2D and 3D wide-area seismic data collection capacity.
These two seismic research ships are accompanied by the drilling ships Fatih, Yavuz, Kanuni, Abdülhamid Han, Çağrı Bey and Yıldırım, which carry out deep-sea drilling operations. The data collected by seismic research vessels is used to identify geological structures with hydrocarbon potential and to plan deep-sea drilling operations.
What are the exploration achievements and experience of Türkiye's seismic research vessels?
Türkiye's seismic research vessels constitute the most critical building block of its energy independence strategy, with its exploration successes and operational experience to date.
The large-scale dredging and mapping activities of Barbaros Hayreddin Paşa and MTA Oruç Reis ships in the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean enable the successful implementation of the offshore hydrocarbon exploration strategy.
The largest natural gas discovery in the history of the Republic was made in the Black Sea with the seismic data of Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha and Oruç Reis. The total amount of reserves in the Sakarya Gas Field reached 785 billion cubic meters with new discoveries.
The Turkish seismic exploration fleet, which collected thousands of kilometers of seismic data in the complex and challenging seabed topography of the Eastern Mediterranean, proved its data processing and analysis ability at international standards.
During his 234-day mission in Somalia, Oruç Reis collected 3D seismic data in an area of 4 thousand 464 square kilometers in 3 separate sea blocks. The fleet, which has achieved operational capability on a global scale, continues to successfully carry out seismic scanning activities in Türkiye's maritime jurisdiction areas as well as license areas in different geographies within the scope of international agreements.
What agreements are there between Türkiye and Libya in the field of hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation?
A memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of hydrocarbons was signed between Türkiye and Libya in Tripoli on October 3, 2022.
The memorandum of understanding aims for Turkish and Libyan companies to carry out joint scientific, technical, exploration and drilling activities in the land and maritime jurisdictions of the two countries (including the exclusive economic zone).
The memorandum of understanding signed in 2022 in the field of hydrocarbons is complementary to the memorandum of understanding on the delimitation of Türkiye-Libya maritime jurisdiction areas signed in 2019 and offers an opportunity for new cooperation between the two countries.
Turkish Petroleum Joint Stock Partnership (TPAO) has had exploration licenses in oil fields in Libya since before the civil war, and in the oil and gas license tender held by Libya in February 2026, it won exploration rights in the C3 onshore block and the O7 offshore block, in partnership with Spanish Repsol and Hungarian MOL.
Are new partnerships in energy envisaged between Türkiye and Libya?
Libyan officials and experts state that after the House of Representatives approved the memorandum of understanding on maritime jurisdictions signed with Turkey in 2019, the doors of new joint cooperation in the land and sea fields in energy have been opened wide between the two countries.
Deputy Chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council Musa al-Koni said that the House of Representatives' approval of the maritime authority memorandum will open the doors wide for Türkiye regarding projects in Libya.
Koni called on Turkish energy companies and said, "Turkey will be a fundamental partner at this point. I hope it will act before other countries; because we expect well-known large Turkish companies to be present in every region of Libya to contribute to the extraction and marketing of oil and gas during this period." he said.
Considering Libya's huge unproven hydrocarbon potential on land and sea and Türkiye's deep-sea seismic research power, new partnerships and collaborations are envisaged between the two countries in the field of energy.
