Wintershall Operates Maria Appraisal Well

Wintershall, the largest German crude oil and natural gas producer with operations worldwide, yesterday spudded the Maria appraisal well in the Norwegian Sea. The Maria discovery, which is estimated to contain between 60 and 120 million barrels of recoverable oil and between 2 and 5 billion standard cubic meters (sm3) of recoverable gas, is one of the most significant oil discoveries in Norway in recent years and is situated around 200 kilometers off the coast of Trondheim.

” We have high expectations of this well. Our main objective is to prove oil in the northern part of the structure and to perform extensive data acquisition. The results will help the Maria partnership to decide on the optimum development concept for Maria – either a subsea tieback or a standalone development”, says Maria Project Manager Hugo Dijkgraaf. The drilling operations of well 6407/1-5S in PL 475BS are performed by the semi-submersible rig Borgland Dolphin and are planned for approximately 60 days.

Wintershall Norge operates PL475 BS with a 50% stake, with Petoro (30%) and Centrica (20%) as partners.

Wintershall, based in Kassel, Germany, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BASF in Ludwigshafen. The company has been active in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas for over 75 years. Wintershall focuses on selected core regions, where the company has built up a high level of regional and technological expertise. These are Europe, North Africa, South America, as well as Russia and the Caspian Sea region. In addition, these operations are complemented by the company’s growing exploration activities in the Arabian Gulf. Today, the company employs more than 2,000 staff worldwide from 35 nations and is Germany’s largest crude oil and natural gas producer. With the subsidiaries it operates together with Russia’s Gazprom, WINGAS and WINGAS TRANSPORT, the BASF subsidiary is also an important gas supplier on the German and European market.

[mappress]
Offshore Nieuws Staff , February 1, 2012; Image: Wintershall