Turkish drillship sails away from Cyprus' EEZ

Turkish oil-and-gas drilling ship Fatih, which had been conducting surveying work off southwestern Cyprus, is sailing away from the country's exclusive economic zone (EZZ), Kathimerini Cyprus reported.

The vessel Fatih had been deployed west of Akamas peninsula since last April. It now appears to be heading towards Turkey's coast but has not declared a specific destination.

It is not clear why the vessel is leaving the area and whether it will remain in the eastern Mediterranean.

When Fatih arrived in April, nicosia responded by issuing arrest warrants against companies, company executives and crew who are involved in the ship's operations without the explicit or implicit consent of the Cypriot government.

Turkey maintains another drillship, Yavuz to an area off the west coast of the island, in Block 7 of the island's EEZ, which Cyprus has already...