Pakistan and Türkiye are preparing to resume offshore oil and gas exploration after a gap of nearly two decades, with a Turkish seismic survey vessel expected to reach Karachi between 17 and 20 November. The Petroleum Division announced the plan on Friday, calling it the first major offshore exploration campaign in Pakistani waters in about twenty years and a fresh push to assess untapped energy reserves beneath the Arabian Sea.

A vessel due in Karachi this month

Federal Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik chaired a high-level meeting in Islamabad on Friday to review preparations for the vessel's arrival and the launch of the campaign. The ship is operated by the Turkish Petroleum Offshore Company (TPOC), the offshore arm of the Turkish Petroleum Corporation. Officials said the government was finalising operational, security, maritime and logistical arrangements ahead of its arrival, and Malik described the vessel's arrival as a milestone in bilateral energy cooperation.

Survey first, not drilling

The first survey will focus on the Eastern Offshore Indus-C block in the Arabian Sea. TPOC holds a 25 per cent stake and the operatorship, Pakistan Petroleum Limited holds 35 per cent, and Oil and Gas Development Company Limited and Mari Energies each hold 20 per cent. Pakistan Petroleum Limited has estimated the block could hold 1.5 to 2 trillion cubic feet of gas, but that is an estimate of what the geology might contain, not a confirmed reserve. A seismic survey produces data, not oil: only drilling, months or years away and only if the survey justifies it, can confirm whether commercially viable reserves exist. Pakistan launched its Offshore Bid Round 2025 after an 18-year gap, offering licences across 40 blocks in the Indus and Makran offshore basins.

[Source: Daily Imroz](https://dailyimroz.com/news/turkish-seismic-vessel-to-reach-karachi-as-pakistan-revives-offshore-exploration) | [Source: The Diplomatic Insight](https://thediplomaticinsight.com/pakistan-turkiye-to-resume-offshore-energy-exploration/)