Greece Resumes Interconnector Cable Project, Risking Naval Standoff With Turkey
Greece prepares to resume the Great Sea Interconnector submarine power cable project connecting to Cyprus and Israel, risking a naval standoff with Turkey south of Crete amid escalating regional tensions.
Greece is preparing to resume work on the Great Sea Interconnector, a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine power cable designed to connect its electricity grid with Cyprus and Israel. As part of these preparations, the French vessel Abbey Marengo is expected to conduct maritime surveys shortly. However, this move risks opening a new front against Turkey.
Ankara and Athens hold fundamentally opposing views on their maritime borders, a dispute that also extends to the waters surrounding Cyprus. A potential collision between Greek and Turkish interests could materialize south of Crete. This is not a far-fetched scenario, given both recent military developments and past tensions surrounding the cable project.
Maritime Tensions and Military Exercises
Frictions surfaced over the weekend when Greece issued a navigational warning (NAVTEX) for a maritime zone south of Crete to conduct the 'Eunomia 2026' military exercise alongside Cyprus, France, and Italy. Considering the area to be under its jurisdiction, Turkey swiftly responded with a counter-NAVTEX.
"NAVTEX is a warning to mariners to stay away because the military may conduct exercises that could cause damage to vessels," explains Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak, a Turkey expert at the Moshe Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University and the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security.
Strategic Importance and Regional Repercussions
Dr. Galia Lindenstrauss, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), notes that Ankara fiercely opposes the interconnector project because it crosses the path of the 2019 Turkish-Libyan maritime border agreement—a cornerstone of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 'Blue Homeland' doctrine.
"Turkey is determined to prevent the laying of the cable without its consent, demanding negotiations that Greece deems unacceptable," explains Dr. Cohen Yanarocak.
With the backing of the European Union, France, and the United States—including explicit support from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio—Athens appears far more resolute than during previous confrontations, bolstered by multi-billion-dollar defense acquisitions from Israel.
