Turkey sends new ship to search for gas off Cyprus as tensions mount

Turkey on Thursday sent a new ship to search for oil and gas off Cyprus, in a move expected to escalate tensions after the EU called on Ankara to stop its "illegal drilling activities".

The region near the divided island is believed to have rich natural gas deposits, triggering a race between Turkey and Cyprus's internationally recognised government, which also plans to ramp up its exploratory activities in the eastern Mediterranean.

Turkish officials said the new vessel is the 229-metre-long (750-feet) Yavuz, which has previously drilled in the waters off several countries including Kenya, Tanzania and Malaysia.

Reporters were taken onboard the vessel docked in the port of Dilovasi near Gebze, southeast of Istanbul, before it sailed.

It carried the colours of the Turkish flag -- a white crescent and a star on a red background.

The European Union on Tuesday lashed out at Turkey over its plans to drill in the area, warning it was preparing "appropriate measures" in response.

But Turkey remained defiant, with Energy Minister Fatih Donmez saying that Ankara's search for hydrocarbon reserves would continue "uninterrupted."
Donmez in turn accused Cyprus of "hiding behind the EU" to pursue its interests, saying that Nicosia "cannot have any say on any issue that concerns the entire island."