Turkish ship at heart of energy feud with Greece back at port

ISTANBUL — The Turkish research vessel at the heart of an energy dispute between Turkey and Greece is back at port.

In a tweet, Turkey’s energy ministry says the Oruc Reis has returned to port in Antalya after completing two-dimensional seismic research in the Demre field. Ship tracker MarineTraffic shows the survey ship has docked.

Tensions between the two neighbors and nominal NATO allies escalated over the summer with a military build-up after Turkey sent the survey ship, escorted by navy frigates, into disputed waters in the eastern Mediterranean.

The move prompted Greece to also send its warships, and both countries conducted military exercises to assert their claims. NATO intervened, organizing technical talks between the two countries’ militaries to prevent a potential armed conflict.

Ankara says the Greek and Greek Cypriot governments are impinging on the energy rights of Turkey and breakaway northern Cyprus by setting maritime boundaries according to their own interests and attempting to exclude Turkey from potential oil and gas reserves.

Turkey says maritime boundaries for hydrocarbon resources should be calculated from the mainland but Greece says the continental shelves of its islands dotting the Mediterranean should be included within its energy zone.

The competing claims have led to a diplomatic crisis and aggressive rhetoric. European Union members Greece and Cyprus, along with France, have called for sanctions on Turkey

— AP