Athens has characterized the Turkish NAVTEX regarding the “Abeille Marengo” surveys as part of the Crete-Cyprus power interconnection, citing in its counter-NAVTEX the specific numbers of the permits authorizing the work. These are the permits issued by the Greek authorities following the company’s relevant requests, the most recent being No. 65808/06.11.2026, dated November 6. At the same time, the Greek announcement reaffirms that a significant portion of the exploration is taking place within the Greek EEZ and continental shelf and that the Heraklion station has exclusive authority to issue NAVTEX in that specific area.
Of particular significance is that the company itself, in a statement, confirms that the French vessel’s exploration activities are being conducted in accordance with the NAVTEX messages issued by the competent authorities of Greece and Cyprus. This statement reinforces the position expressed on Tuesday evening (November 10) by diplomatic sources at the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to which Greece and Cyprus were the only countries that received requests for authorization of the operations, while no such request had been submitted to Turkey.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The Greek counter-NAVTEX, numbered 1441/26, constitutes the official response to the Turkish FA76-1127/26. Its text explicitly lists the three Greek authorization decisions: 31373/07.06.2024, 9020/February 11, 2026, and 65808/November 6, 2026, and notes that the Greek NAVTEX HA15-1411/26 remains in full force. As diplomatic sources had clarified earlier, Greece and Cyprus were the only countries that received licensing requests from the company, unlike Turkey, which claimed consent without having been asked for such permission.
What the Greek anti-NAVTEX states
In the new announcement, which is timestamped November 10, 2026, at 22:05 UTC (00:05 on November 11, Cyprus time), the Heraklion station reports that an unauthorized station transmitted a NAVTEX regarding surveys for the installation of the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) subsea cable.
The project has been designated by the European Union as a Project of Common Interest, and the related work will be carried out by the French-flagged “VB Abeille Marengo,” with MMSI number 228505700 and IMO number 9388613.
The Greek side points out that a significant portion of the survey lines included in the Turkish announcement lies within the Greek EEZ and continental shelf, as defined by international law and Law 4001/2011, which it cites as being fully harmonized with the international legal framework.
At the same time, it is clarified that the activities will be carried out in accordance with the terms of Greek licenses 31373/07.06.2024, 9020/February 11, 2026, and 65808/November 6, 2026.
The announcement includes two sets of 11 geographic points each, defining the maritime boundaries of the exploration areas, stretching from the region east of Crete to the Eastern Mediterranean. According to the Greek side, these specific lines fall within the area of jurisdiction of the Greek NAVTEX system.
In conclusion, the Heraklion station declares the Turkish NAVTEX FA76-1127/26 null and void and confirms the validity of the Greek NAVTEX HA15-1411/26. The cancellation of the new announcement is scheduled for March 20, 2027, at 00:01 UTC.
Greek Foreign Ministry: Only Greece and Cyprus Received a Request for Permission
The issuance of the Greek counter-NAVTEX follows the response given on Tuesday evening by senior diplomatic sources to the Turkish move, clarifying that Greece and Cyprus are the only countries to which requests for permits for the operations were submitted and which issued the relevant permits.
According to the same sources, the Turkish NAVTEX has no practical significance, as it was issued after the research vessel had already set sail, based on details of its route that had been made public via the Greek NAVTEX.
As they pointed out, the exact course of the “Abeille Marengo” had become known immediately after the issuance and publication of the Greek announcement, and the vessel navigated exclusively based on that information.
Diplomatic sources also emphasized that the Turkish NAVTEX makes no mention whatsoever that Turkey had issued a permit for the operations, as no such request had been submitted to Ankara.
Athens had previously announced that it would take the appropriate Greek response, in accordance with international law, which is now reflected in the official counter-NAVTEX.
What Turkey Claimed in Its Antalya NAVTEX
Turkish NAVTEX 1127/26, issued by the Antalya station, concerns the French vessel’s surveys for the laying of the undersea cable.
With this announcement, Ankara claimed that the activities are being carried out with the consent of the Turkish authorities and in an area that it considers to fall within its own jurisdiction and continental shelf.
In fact, Turkey invoked the maritime claims it had submitted to the United Nations in 2020, as part of its positions on the delimitation of the continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Greek side rejects these allegations and considers the Turkish announcement illegal and irregular, arguing that it attempts to portray Ankara as the authority responsible for authorizing exploration, even though no such request has been submitted to it.
Furthermore, the coordinates included in the Turkish NAVTEX bear significant similarities to those in the Greek announcement issued on Friday, November 6.
Papastavrou: Turkey gave its consent without being asked
The Greek Minister of Environment and Energy, Stavros Papastavrou, also addressed this issue while responding in Parliament to representatives of the opposition parties, who had requested an update on the Turkish NAVTEX.
The minister argued that Ankara appeared to be granting consent for an activity for which no prior request had been made by the French company.
He called on the opposition to carefully examine the content of the Turkish announcement, noting that there is no mention of a permit application submitted to Turkey.
According to Mr. Papastavrou, the French company submitted its requests exclusively to Greece and Cyprus, while the vessel set sail to conduct bathymetric surveys based on the Greek NAVTEX.
The minister explained that the coordinates of the ship’s route had already been made public in the Greek announcement, so Turkey was aware of the route to be followed after the fact.
He reiterated that the French company had not made any complaint to the Turkish authorities and that no other NAVTEX, other than those from the competent Greek and Cypriot authorities, was issued following the company’s request.
Source: Proto Thema
