The French research vessel Abeille Marengo is set to sail from Heraklion to begin seabed surveys for the electricity cable between Greece and Cyprus.

The Marengo is due to head for the Greek island of Kasos, south of Karpathos, for the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) project.

Greek reports say the work will be monitored remotely with autonomous systems and unmanned vehicles, with surface units available if needed.

Greece and Cyprus issued Navtex maritime notices for the survey on Friday, Turkey responded with its own counter-Navtex, claiming that part of the survey area lies within its continental shelf.

The Turkish foreign ministry then said no permission had been sought from Ankara for the French vessel’s work, claiming it had cancelled the Greek and Cypriot notices.

Greek media reports say a Turkish drone flew repeated surveillance circuits south of Karpathos, over the area where the cable is due to be laid.

The aircraft is believed to be an Akinci type and to have taken off from the Dalaman naval base, switching its identification transmitter on and off, which made it harder for flight tracking systems to follow.