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Greece issued a counter-notice shortly after midnight Wednesday rejecting a Turkish maritime advisory over seabed surveys for the Greece–Cyprus electricity cable, hours after the French research vessel Abeille Marengo sailed from Crete.
In its notice, NAVWARN 1441/26, the Greek Navy’s Hydrographic Service declared the Turkish advisory null and void. It said a significant part of the survey area lies within Greece’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf and that its Heraklion station alone is responsible for issuing maritime notices in its area of responsibility. The original Greek notice, NAVWARN HA15-1411/26, remains in force, the service said.
Greek Foreign Ministry sources said the vessel was following the route published in the original Greek notice and that Greece and Cyprus were the only countries asked to issue work permits. Both did so, the sources said. They added that Turkey issued its advisory after the vessel was already underway and that the Turkish notice made no reference to a permit being granted.
The ship’s departure moves the dispute from diplomatic exchanges to a practical question at sea. Can the vessel carry out its surveys off Kasos without a repeat of 2024, when Turkish actions temporarily halted work by an Italian research ship?
The route ahead
As Apostolos Tomaras reported for *Kathimerini*, the Abeille Marengo, chartered by French cable company Nexans, spent about 10 days in Heraklion. Its departure was called off three times from Saturday onward, delays attributed to diplomatic efforts to avoid another interruption at sea.
The vessel is headed for waters about six nautical miles southeast of Kasos. Under the Greek notice, it is due to survey the seabed toward Karpathos before moving south and east toward the outer limits of Cyprus’ area of responsibility. The surveys are expected to take about six months and will help determine where the cable linking Cyprus to Crete will be laid.
The Greek coast guard has been assigned to monitor work near Kasos. Greek naval vessels are on standby, Tomaras reported.
What France told Turkey
A formal diplomatic note from France to Turkey has stirred debate in Athens over whether Paris simply informed Ankara of the planned surveys or sought its permission.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Athens knew the contents of the note and that France’s communication created no legal precedent and could not be interpreted as a request for authorization. Konstantinos Filis, commenting on the note, told *Kathimerini* that France had given Turkey a general outline of the ship’s route. He also pointed to a clause in the agreement to transfer a majority stake to French group Meridiam that specifies Greece and Cyprus as the only countries from which survey permits would be sought.
What it means for Cyprus
Nicosia has kept its public comments limited. Energy Minister Michalis Damianos told Greek state television that the maritime notice and the start of surveys were important steps for the project. He highlighted France’s role and EU backing and said Greece and Cyprus would stay in close contact as the work proceeds.
The Greek notice is also expected to clear the way for Cyprus to pay its first €25 million installment to Greece’s power grid operator, ADMIE, to cover part of the project’s costs. Government sources told Kathimerini that the process to release the funds would begin in the coming period.
