Pakistan is preparing to restart its offshore oil and gas search after nearly two decades away from deep-sea exploration. Turkiye’s seismic research vessel Oruç Reis is expected to reach Karachi between November 17 and 20, where it will scan the seabed for possible hydrocarbon deposits.
Officials see the vessel’s arrival as a notable step toward tapping the country’s largely untapped offshore resources. The project is also intended to draw in foreign investment and reduce Pakistan’s reliance on imported energy.
Preparations for the Oruç Reis survey in Karachi
Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik chaired a meeting on Friday to review the arrangements for the vessel’s arrival. The discussions covered security, maritime coordination and the operational requirements for the ship.
Malik said he would personally welcome the Turkish vessel in Karachi. He described the project as an important milestone in Pakistan-Turkiye relations and in bilateral energy cooperation.
He added that Pakistan would give full support to Turkiye’s offshore exploration effort, and said the two countries could reach a historic breakthrough through joint work. The minister also instructed all relevant institutions to stay in close contact so that the ship’s arrival and offshore operations would run smoothly. The Turkish Petroleum project manager thanked Pakistani authorities for their cooperation and backing.
Estimated offshore and onshore hydrocarbon potential
Pakistan’s offshore sedimentary basins are believed to hold substantial oil and gas resources that have not yet been discovered. An assessment cited in the Petroleum Division’s 2025 investment brochure put the country’s yet-to-find offshore and onshore potential at about 3.585 billion barrels of oil and 66.26 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
These figures refer to undiscovered resources, not proven or commercially recoverable reserves. The actual volume can only be confirmed through exploration and drilling.
According to a research report by Arif Habib Limited, based on Pakistan Petroleum Information Service data, existing recoverable reserves stood at an estimated 276 million barrels of oil and 20.664 trillion cubic feet of natural gas by June 2026. The report’s figures were presented as estimates for that date.
Current output and demand show the scale of the gap:
- Daily production of roughly 65,000 barrels of oil
- Daily gas production of approximately three billion cubic feet
- Estimated daily gas demand of around four billion cubic feet
Pakistan spends billions of dollars each year on imported energy, including liquefied natural gas (LNG). For that reason, developing domestic resources is considered central to its energy security strategy.
How the Turkish exploration partnership took shape
Pakistan and Turkiye formally began moving toward joint offshore exploration in April 2025. At that point, their state-backed and domestic energy companies signed an agreement to take part together in Pakistan’s offshore bidding round.
The government had offered 40 offshore blocks in the Indus and Makran basins. It was the first licensing round of this kind since 2007. In October 2025, Pakistan awarded 23 of the 40 blocks to four consortia led by domestic exploration companies. International partners included Turkiye’s state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO).
The winning bids covered about 53,500 square kilometres of offshore territory. The four consortia committed around $80 million to exploration during the initial three-year period. Investment could climb to between $750 million and $1 billion if the projects move on to exploratory drilling.
The same month, Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) agreed to hand over operatorship of Eastern Offshore Indus Block-C to Turkish Petroleum Overseas Company (TPOC), a wholly owned subsidiary of TPAO. Under this deal, TPOC received a 25 per cent participating interest, while PPL kept 35 per cent. The Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) and MariEnergies each took a 20 per cent stake.
On December 2, 2025, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the signing of further exploration and production agreements. These involved Turkish Petroleum and Pakistani firms covering three offshore and two onshore areas. The Pakistani companies named in the agreements were MariEnergies, Fatima Petroleum, OGDCL, PPL, Prime Energy and Government Holdings.
Turkiye’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar had said that seismic research vessels would arrive in Pakistan in 2026 to begin exploration work.
Limited drilling history and the road ahead
Pakistan’s offshore exploration record has been shaped by limited drilling and attempts that failed to establish commercially viable reserves. According to figures from a wire agency, only 18 offshore wells have been drilled since independence in 1947.
One of the most notable recent efforts was the Kekra-1 well, drilled in 2019 by a consortium led by the US energy company ExxonMobil. The well did not find commercially viable hydrocarbon deposits, and ExxonMobil later exited Pakistan. Lack of successful discoveries, investment difficulties and geological risks have all held back offshore work.
The renewed partnership with Turkiye is expected to bring international expertise, technology and capital into a sector that has remained largely underexplored. The seismic survey, however, is only an early phase. Its results will help identify promising geological structures, but exploratory drilling would still be needed to determine whether commercially viable oil and gas deposits exist.
The government hopes the renewed drive will strengthen domestic energy supplies, lower import dependence and open new opportunities for international investment in the petroleum sector.
