Amid Greece-Turkey tensions, French vessel begins surveys for electricity cable to Cyprus

The French vessel “Abeille Marengo” left the port of Heraklion, Crete, shortly after 18:00 on Tuesday. It will conduct underwater surveys ahead of the installation of an electricity cable linking Greece and Cyprus. Its departure followed several days of diplomatic clashes with Turkey and heated debate in Athens over France’s involvement.

The vessel is heading to waters southeast of the island of Karpathos. Work will begin with equipment calibration and continue with the measurements specified in maritime notices issued by the Greek and Cypriot authorities. The seabed survey at this stage will determine the cable’s route.

The “Great Sea Interconnector” project aims to connect Cyprus’s electricity grid to Greece’s and, through it, to the European grid, ending the island’s energy isolation. French companies play a significant role: Nexans is the cable contractor, while Meridiam owns 66% of the company developing the interconnection, alongside the Greek electricity transmission operator ADMIE.

Tensions began after Greece and Cyprus issued a NAVTEX for the vessel’s activities. Ankara responded immediately with a counter-notice, claiming that some of the surveys extend onto the Turkish continental shelf and require its authorization.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said on November 6 that the planned activity was unauthorized because the procedure for obtaining Turkey’s consent had not been completed. Athens, meanwhile, rejects the claim that the work requires Ankara’s permission.

Over the weekend, Paris and Ankara held diplomatic talks, and France issued a verbal note concerning the vessel’s activities. Its interpretation became the focus of debate: the Greek side says the document is a notification, not a request for permission, while Turkish sources presented it as a step toward obtaining Turkey’s authorization.

According to diplomatic reports, the French note provides information about the surveys without taking a position on Greek-Turkish maritime disputes. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan later said the matter had been resolved and that everything was in order, but gave no details about the understanding reached.

The developments also sparked clashes in Greek domestic politics. The opposition is demanding access to the full text of the diplomatic note. The PASOK socialists are asking whether the Greek government knew about and had approved the document in advance, why another communication was needed in addition to the NAVTEX, and whether Turkey could use it in the future as a precedent for its claims. SYRIZA also expressed concern about the protection of Greek sovereign rights.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he was confident the vessel’s voyage would be completed without obstruction. He stressed that authorization had been granted only by Greece and Cyprus and that the project was European, with a strong French presence. Surveys are resuming near the island of Kasos, in an area where work was halted during the summer of 2024 amid Greek-Turkish tensions. The vessel’s departure marks the resumption of work at sea, while the dispute over maritime jurisdiction remains unresolved.