Offshore production

Since 1987: Incident-free operation

The drilling and production island in the Wattenmeer tidelands is unique around the world. It was designed and built to meet the special safety requirements necessary in this ecologically sensitive region. The safety standards governing daily operations are no less stringent.

Control center of drilling rig T-150 

The drilling and production island, in the shape of a compact, sealed steel and concrete basin, represents an impenetrable defense against all outside influences, as well as limiting any impact from internal processes to a minimum and containing any potential disturbances within the island itself by way of a multi-layered system of controls. A comprehensive closed waste disposal system guarantees that the North Sea and the Wattenmeer tidelands remain unaffected throughout all operational activities.

Until October 2005, the crude oil was conveyed in specially constructed oil transportation barges to the port of Brunsbüttel and its refinery connections. Constant upgrades to the island's production facilities and the expansion of transport capacities have seen the initial annual production volumes of around 200,000 mt of crude oil grow to about 900,000 mt over the years.
Tidal and meteorological factors restricting transportation capacity by ship meant that the island’s production limit had been reached at that level.

Since the fall of 2005, the crude oil produced on Mittelplate Drilling and Production Island has been transported to the Dieksand Land Station via a transportation pipeline, irrespective of the prevailing weather and tidal conditions.

High-tech boosts production of Mittelplate crude

The decline in production from Mittelplate, Germany’s biggest oil field located off the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein, which had started in 2008, has been arrested thanks to the deployment of leading-edge production technologies. In 2010, a total of 1.33 million tons of crude was extracted from the oil-bearing sandstone layers located at depths of between 2000 and 3000 metres. Production for whole of the year 2011 is estimated to come in at around 1.43 million tons.

The decisive factor in this increased production is the Mittelplate A23 multilateral well. Thanks to the new drilling technique, it has become possible to extract oil from multiple horizons through a single well. It represents a milestone in the systematic development of the Mittelplate deposit. A further significant boost to production is expected from the next dual-lateral well, called Mittelplate A7b, is scheduled to come on stream in the first quarter of 2012.