Cyprus and Greece issue marine notices for subsea cable surveys amid Turkish protests

Cyprus and Greece have issued separate NAVTEX maritime notices to conduct geophysical surveys for the East to Med (EMC) fiber optic cable project and the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) electrical project. The Cypriot notice for the Kobi Ruegg vessel, active from November 2 to 15, covers research within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Greece followed with notices for the Kobi Ruegg (November 7–11) and the Abeille Marengo (November 6, 2026, to March 6, 2027) to facilitate cable installation in the southeastern Cretan Sea and toward the Cypriot EEZ.

Turkey immediately issued counter-NAVTEX responses, challenging the jurisdiction of the Greek and Cypriot stations. Ankara claims the surveyed areas fall within its claimed continental shelf, asserting that the Greek and Cypriot notices are "unauthorized" and lack its required consent. Turkey’s Minister of Energy, Alparslan Bayraktar, simultaneously proposed broader energy cooperation, including a potential electrical link between Turkey and occupied Northern Cyprus, while rejecting the GSI project on political grounds.

Despite the Turkish objections, Greece maintains that it will proceed with necessary operational actions to ensure the implementation of the GSI project. The research operations for both telecommunications and electrical connectivity remain ongoing as part of broader regional infrastructure development.