Somalia’s first offshore oil drilling project has reached a critical geological layer where signs of possible oil are beginning to emerge, raising expectations as the country moves towards the next stage of its search for petroleum beneath the seabed.
The Chairman of the Somali Petroleum Authority, Eng. Abdulkadir Aden Mohamed, said drilling of the Curad-1 well had passed through the Late Cretaceous layer and was now entering the Early Cretaceous formation, where indications of oil begin to appear.
In an interview with Somali National Television on Wednesday, October 28, Mohamed described the development as an important stage in the country’s first officially drilled offshore oil well, noting that the remaining section of the operation would be particularly significant.
“This is where the signs showing that oil is present begin. The deeper you drill, the more encouragement you get that there is oil there. You are now standing at the critical point,” he said.
The Petroleum Authority chairman disclosed that approximately 2,000 metres of drilling remained before the targeted depth could be reached, with December set as the expected timeline for completing that stage.
“We hope to reach the target in December, God willing, and we hope no further obstacles occur,” he said.
Mohamed explained that the earlier 2,000-metre section of drilling had mainly passed through sedimentary layers, making it difficult to establish whether oil was present.
However, samples collected from that section have now been prepared for laboratory analysis, which is expected to provide further information about the geological composition beneath the seabed.
So far, 18 core samples extracted during the drilling operation have arrived, while another 15 are on their way. Turkish specialists and the Somali Petroleum Authority are jointly examining the samples and comparing them with geological information from three-dimensional (3D) data.
“We want to prepare a laboratory for them. They are working on their side, and we are working on ours,” Mohamed said.
The analysis is intended to help specialists understand the different geological formations encountered during drilling and assess how they correspond with existing data.
Somalia plans to use drilling data for university research
Beyond the search for oil, the Petroleum Authority is also planning to make the geological information collected during the operation available for academic research.
Mohamed said a facility was being prepared to store samples collected at intervals of every 100 metres, allowing students at the Somali National University to study the materials and use the data for laboratory research.
The initiative is expected to provide local students with access to geological samples and technical information generated during the country’s first offshore drilling operation.
The Curad-1 well is located approximately 372 kilometres northeast of Mogadishu, making it Somalia’s first officially drilled offshore oil well.
Drilling began in April 2026 under the leadership of Turkish Petroleum (TPAO), Turkey’s state-owned oil company, using the ultra-deepwater drillship Çağrı Bey, which arrived off the Somali coast that month.