A seismic survey vessel operated by Turkish Petroleum Offshore Company (TPOC) will arrive in Karachi between 17 and 20 November, marking the restart of Pakistan's offshore oil and gas exploration after a gap of nearly 20 years, the Petroleum Division said on Friday.
The announcement followed a high-level meeting in Islamabad chaired by Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, where officials reviewed the preparations for the vessel's arrival and the start of the offshore survey campaign. The meeting examined operational, logistical and maritime arrangements, along with security and coordination between the departments involved.
A seismic vessel maps the seabed with sound waves to build a picture of the rock formations below, showing where oil and gas may be trapped. The survey is the first stage of exploration: it gathers the scientific evidence that decides whether drilling is worth attempting, and it does not by itself prove that commercially recoverable reserves exist.
Pakistan last ran a major offshore licensing effort in the Offshore Bid Round 2025, launched in January 2025 after a gap of 18 years, offering 40 blocks in the Indus and Makran offshore areas near Sindh and Balochistan. In May 2026, Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) signed production sharing agreements and exploration licences for eight of those blocks, following a provisional award announced in November 2025.
TPOC, a subsidiary of Turkish Petroleum Corporation, has partnered with Pakistan's state-owned energy companies — Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Mari Energies and PPL — for three blocks. In the Eastern Offshore Indus-C block in the Arabian Sea, TPOC holds a 25 per cent interest and the operatorship, while PPL holds 35 per cent and OGDCL and Mari Energies hold 20 per cent each. PPL has estimated the block could hold between 1.5 and 2 trillion cubic feet of gas, based on earlier two-dimensional and three-dimensional surveys. TPOC also holds stakes in two onshore blocks, 25 per cent in Sukhpur-II and 10 per cent in Ziarat North.
Malik described the vessel's arrival as a special milestone in Pakistan–Türkiye relations, coming after the signing of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, and said it would open a new chapter in cooperation between the two countries. He added that he would try to receive the vessel personally when it reaches Karachi.
The meeting was attended by the TPOC project manager, the secretary and additional secretary of the Petroleum Division, the director general of petroleum concessions, the managing directors of OGDCL, PPL and Government Holdings (Private) Limited, and representatives of the foreign affairs, maritime affairs, defence and interior ministries, the National Hydrographic Office, the Board of Investment and the Directorate General of Ports and Shipping.
The revival matters because Pakistan imports most of its fuel, leaving its economy exposed to swings in world oil prices and to disruption in the Gulf. A domestic offshore discovery would strengthen energy security and ease the import bill, but officials and analysts alike stress that a seismic survey is only the beginning of a long process — from survey to drilling to production can take years, and many surveys end without a commercial find.
What happens next will depend on the survey results. Once the vessel begins work off Karachi, its data will be analysed to identify drilling targets, and any decision to drill will follow from that evidence. If the Indus-C block's estimated gas volumes are confirmed, the find could become one of Pakistan's most significant energy developments in years; if not, the campaign will still leave the country with a far clearer picture of its offshore potential.
The project also deepens an energy partnership that has grown alongside closer Pakistan–Türkiye ties this year. For now, the immediate focus is practical: getting the vessel into Karachi, clearing the maritime and security arrangements, and starting the survey on schedule in the second half of November.
Figures in this report were checked at 21:24 PKT on Friday, 06 November 2026.
This post is market news information only, not financial advice.
