A navtex alert is expected to be issued soon to notify ships about seabed surveys between Cyprus and Crete ahead of cable-laying work for the Great Sea Interconnector.
Survey Plans Take Shape
President Nikos Christodoulides, French President Emmanuel Macron and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis have discussed the issue in recent days and agreed that the notice should be issued as soon as possible, according to Phileleftheros.
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The next step depends on an agreement between Meridiam, the interconnector’s majority shareholder, and French cable manufacturer Nexans. They must decide which companies will conduct the remaining surveys and establish a timetable for the work.
Greece’s transmission system operator Admie said around 60% of the seabed surveys have already been completed, leaving 40% in waters claimed by both Greece and Turkey.
Dispute Over Maritime Zones
Previous survey efforts have faced tensions. In 2024, Turkish naval vessels were deployed after the Italian research ship Ievoli Relume entered waters Ankara considers its own, prompting Greece to send naval vessels to the area.
At the centre of the dispute is the status of maritime zones generated by islands. Greece and Cyprus, citing the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, maintain that islands generate their own exclusive economic zones (EEZs). Turkey, which is not a signatory to the convention, rejects that interpretation.
Turkey considers the waters beyond the 12-nautical-mile territorial limits of Cyprus and Crete to fall within its claims, while Greece and Cyprus argue that their EEZs meet south of Kastellorizo.
