New development in power line tension: Ankara approved the French ship

There has been a new development in the cable laying project of France and Greece, which has increased tension in the Eastern Mediterranean. Ankara has approved the French ship that will work on the power line in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The French ship named Abeille Marengo will be able to operate at the coordinates determined by Türkiye until March 19, 2027.

IT WILL CONNECT GCARY AND CRETE TOGETHER

The ship in question will carry out a study aiming to connect Crete and the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus with an undersea power line.

Ankara had reported that the French-flagged ship intended to carry out unauthorized activities on Türkiye's continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean and that the necessary permit process for the activity had not yet been completed.

Türkiye allowed research activities to be carried out for laying underwater cables between 10 November 2026 and 19 March 2027, at the coordinates determined by the published NAVTEX.

THE SHIP MOVED TOWARD THE REGION

The Athens administration, which published a NAVTEX upon this development, argued that the NAVTEX published by Türkiye was invalid.

After receiving permission from Ankara, the French ship moved towards the region from Heraklion Port in Crete, where it had been waiting since October 27.