Turkey deploys frigate to monitor gas drilling ship off Cyprus

Turkey has deployed two ships and a submarine in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, to monitor the drilling ship ‘West Capella’ that is thought to have started drilling activities to search for oil and gas off the ethnically divided Cyprus island, despite Turkey's objections the Turkish military said on Thursday, a move that is likely to increase tension with Cyprus after reunification talks failed last week.

The Greek Cypriot side had this week said drilling for oil and gas, a contractual obligation between Cyprus and France’s Total would go ahead following the collapse of talks aimed at reunifying the island.

Turkey strongly opposes the drilling efforts by the Greek Cypriot, insisting they infringe on the rights of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots to the island's potential oil wealth. It says that hydrocarbon resources in the waters around the divided island should belong to both sides.

A brief military statement said the TCG Gokceada was "performing the task of monitoring the ship, West Capella, which is considered to be capable of drilling for the Greek Cypriot administration."

The military said it had deployed the frigates and a submarine to the eastern Mediterranean to “guarantee the security of oil transportation.”

Another frigate was dispatched to monitor a drilling vessel off the coast of Cyprus, it said.