Pakistan Resumes Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration After 20 Years as Turkish Seismic Vessel Heads for Karachi
Pakistan is about to look for oil and gas under the Arabian Sea again — for the first time in nearly 20 years. A Turkish seismic survey vessel is expected to arrive in Karachi between 17 and 20 November 2026, and its arrival will restart offshore exploration in Pakistani waters.
The announcement was made by the Petroleum Division on Friday, 6 November 2026. Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik chaired a high-level meeting in Islamabad the same day to review preparations for the vessel’s arrival and the start of the exploration campaign. He described the project as a milestone in energy cooperation between Pakistan and Türkiye, and said he would personally receive the ship when it reaches Karachi.
This article explains what was announced, what the Turkish vessel will actually do, where it will survey, why Pakistan stopped exploring offshore, and what this could mean for the country’s energy bills.
What was announced
A seismic survey vessel operated by the Turkish Petroleum Offshore Company (TPOC) — the offshore arm of the Turkish Petroleum Corporation — is expected to reach Karachi between 17 and 20 November 2026. Its arrival will formally restart offshore oil and gas exploration in Pakistan after a gap of nearly two decades.
The Petroleum Division announced the plan on Friday after a meeting chaired by Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik. Officials from the Petroleum Division, the maritime and defence ministries, the Board of Investment, and the managing directors of the Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDCL), Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) and Government Holdings Private Limited (GHPL) attended. The meeting reviewed the operational, logistical, maritime and security arrangements for the vessel’s arrival and the start of the survey campaign.
The minister assured the Turkish side of the government’s full support, and said he would try to receive the vessel personally in Karachi. Pakistani media reported that he called the project an important milestone in Pakistan–Türkiye friendship, coming after a recent agreement between the two countries.
The announcement was reported by the Associated Press of Pakistan and Business Recorder, and carried widely by Pakistani media on 6 and 7 November.
Which ship is coming — and what we do not know yet
Pakistani media, including Nawa-i-Waqt, have identified the vessel as the Oruc Reis, Türkiye’s seismic research vessel. However, the Petroleum Division has not confirmed the vessel’s name in its own announcement, so that detail should be treated as reported but not officially confirmed.
What is confirmed is the timetable: the ship is due in Karachi between 17 and 20 November. What is also confirmed is the operator: TPOC, the offshore arm of the Turkish Petroleum Corporation.
The reports so far do not give the survey’s cost, its duration, or the size of the area it will cover. No estimate of possible oil or gas reserves has been published — and none should be expected from a survey alone, as we explain below.
Where the survey will take place
The first survey will focus on the Eastern Offshore Indus C block in the Arabian Sea, off Pakistan’s coast. The block is held by a joint venture:
- Turkish Petroleum Offshore Company (TPOC) — 25 per cent interest, and the operatorship
- Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) — 35 per cent
- Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) — 20 per cent
- Mari Energies — 20 per cent
The arrangement brings together Türkiye’s offshore survey capability with the Pakistani companies that know the country’s offshore geology best. For Türkiye, the operatorship of the block is a foothold in a new offshore basin. For Pakistan, it is a chance to test waters that have barely been explored with modern survey technology.
What a seismic survey actually does
It is important to be clear about what the Turkish vessel’s arrival does — and does not — mean.
A seismic survey vessel does not drill for oil. Instead, it tows sound equipment behind it and sends sound waves down through the water and into the rock beneath the seabed. Sensors record how those waves bounce back, and scientists use the data to build a picture of the rock layers deep below the sea floor. That picture shows where oil and gas might be trapped.
In simple terms, the survey produces a map, not oil. It tells explorers where the geology looks promising. Only drilling — months or years away, and only if the survey results justify it — can confirm whether commercially viable reserves actually exist.
That is why no one has published an estimate of how much oil or gas might be found. A seismic survey cannot answer that question. It can only say where it is worth drilling to find out.
Why Pakistan stopped exploring offshore
Pakistan has searched for oil and gas under the sea before — and every attempt so far has come up empty.
The most recent offshore well was Kekra-1, drilled in 2019 in the Indus G block, about 280 kilometres off the Karachi coast. It was operated by the Italian energy company ENI, with ExxonMobil of the United States, OGDCL and PPL as partners. The well was drilled to a depth of more than 5,500 metres at a cost of around $100 million. Before drilling began, some estimates had put the prospect’s resources at around 1.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent. But when the drill reached its target, the reservoir contained only water. The well was plugged and abandoned, and the consortium walked away.
Since then, offshore activity has effectively stalled. Pakistan’s offshore sector has struggled to attract sustained investment, even though the country’s offshore basins are considered to hold significant untapped potential. The arrival of the Turkish vessel is the first serious attempt in years to change that.
It is worth remembering the lesson of Kekra-1: encouraging survey data and high hopes do not guarantee a discovery. The new survey is a first step, not a find.
Why it matters for Pakistan’s energy bills
Pakistan imports most of the oil and gas it consumes, and the cost of those imports is one of the largest drains on the country’s foreign exchange.
That is why the government is treating the vessel’s arrival as a matter of national energy security rather than a routine commercial event, with the petroleum minister himself planning to welcome the ship.
But the benefits, if any, are a long way off. Even in the best case, the sequence is slow: survey first, then analysis of the data, then a decision on whether to drill exploration wells, then drilling, then — only if a commercial discovery is made — years of work to build the facilities to produce it. Nobody should expect cheaper fuel or gas as a result of this announcement in the near term.
The project also deepens the partnership between Pakistan and Türkiye, which has grown steadily across defence, trade and energy in recent years. The offshore venture gives that partnership a concrete commercial shape.
What happens next
If the vessel reaches Karachi between 17 and 20 November as planned, the survey campaign will begin, and Pakistan’s offshore search — paused for a generation — will be under way again.
Here is what to watch for in the coming weeks and months:
- The arrival itself. Whether the vessel docks in Karachi on schedule, and whether the Petroleum Division confirms its name.
- The survey’s progress. How long the survey takes and how much of the Eastern Offshore Indus C block it covers.
- The results. What the seismic data shows, and whether the joint venture decides the geology justifies drilling an exploration well.
- Any drilling decision. This would be the first offshore well in Pakistani waters since Kekra-1 in 2019, and it would only come after the survey data has been analysed.
For now, the milestone is the restart itself: after nearly twenty years, a survey ship is once again heading for Pakistani waters.
Frequently asked questions
When will the Turkish vessel arrive in Karachi?
Between 17 and 20 November 2026, according to the Petroleum Division. The Petroleum Minister has said he will try to receive it personally.
Will the vessel drill for oil?
No. It is a seismic survey vessel. It will map the rock formations beneath the seabed to identify where oil and gas might be trapped. Drilling can only come later, if the survey results justify it.
Which vessel is it?
Pakistani media have identified it as the Oruc Reis, Türkiye’s seismic research vessel, but the Petroleum Division has not confirmed the name.
Where will the survey take place?
In the Eastern Offshore Indus C block in the Arabian Sea. TPOC holds a 25 per cent interest and the operatorship, PPL holds 35 per cent, and OGDCL and Mari Energies hold 20 per cent each.
Has Pakistan found oil offshore before?
No. Every offshore well drilled in Pakistani waters so far has come up dry, including Kekra-1 in 2019, which cost around $100 million and found only water.
Will this cut Pakistan’s fuel prices?
Not in the near term. A survey produces data, not oil. Even a successful survey would need drilling, a commercial discovery, and years of development before any new domestic supply could affect prices.
Conclusion
After nearly two decades away, offshore exploration is returning to Pakistani waters. A Turkish seismic vessel is due in Karachi between 17 and 20 November, carrying the equipment to map the seabed of the Eastern Offshore Indus C block. The project is a milestone in Pakistan–Türkiye energy cooperation, and a genuine new beginning for a sector that has been dormant since the Kekra-1 disappointment of 2019.
But the honest picture is more careful than the headlines. A survey is not a discovery. It will take months of work and analysis before anyone knows whether drilling is worth attempting — and Pakistan’s offshore history says that promising geology does not always mean oil. The restart matters because the search is finally happening again. Whether the Arabian Sea holds the reserves Pakistan has long hoped for is a question only the drill bit can answer.
Sources
- Khabr.pk, “Pakistan–Türkiye revive offshore oil & gas exploration” (citing APP and Business Recorder): https://khabr.pk/en/news/pakistan-turkiye-revive-offshore-oil-gas-exploration
- TechJuice, “Pakistan Resumes Offshore Oil Exploration After 20 Years”: https://www.techjuice.pk/pakistan-resumes-offshore-oil-exploration-after-20-years/
- UrduPro, report on Pakistan–Türkiye offshore oil and gas exploration after 20 years: https://urdupro.info/pakistan-turkiye-offshore-oil-gas-exploration-20-years/
- Metro53, report on Pakistan resuming offshore oil and gas exploration after 20 years: https://en.metro53.com/news/1371/pakistan-to-resume-offshore-oil-gas-exploration-after-20-years
- Hart Energy, background on the Kekra-1 offshore well: https://www.hartenergy.com/news/exploration-kekra-1-well-offshore-pakistan-ends-180030/
This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.
