Mittelplate: New land base for efficient crude oil production 

Inauguration of new Mittelplate land base at Cuxhaven
RWE Dea and partner invest in efficiency and environmental compatibility
More flexible logistics thanks to optimised storage facilities

Economic stimulus for the port of Cuxhaven: today, Friday, 25 January, the new land base to provide supplies to the Mittelplate drilling and production island was inaugurated in the presence of some 100 invited guests from political and business circles and the public administration. The Mittelplate oil field is by far the largest oil deposit in Germany, from which RWE Dea as operator and its partner Wintershall have already succeeded in producing over 27 million tons of oil without a single incident. The new land base was commissioned by RWE Dea AG and built by the Cuxhaven-based company EnTec Industrial Services GmbH & Co. KG, which is also responsible for its operation. The construction time for the two operating units located at Helgoländer Kai and Neuer Fischereihafen amounted to five months. Sixteen workers are employed at the land base.

Together, Dr Ulrich Getsch, Mayor of Cuxhaven, and Uwe Balasus-Lange, the Director of RWE Dea’s Field Development Division, as well as Marco Schmid, Managing Director of EnTec, symbolically cut a red ribbon during the formal inauguration ceremony. The task of providing daily supplies to Germany’s only offshore oil drilling and production island Mittelplate will be carried out chiefly via Helgoländer Kai, while large quantities of piping or drilling rig components will be transshipped via Neuer Fischereihafen.

In addition to building the land base, the fleet of vessels in service to supply Mittelplate has also been modernised. By deploying new vessels with engines featuring state-of-the-art design and construction, it will be possible to substantially reduce both the number of ship movements and the level of CO2 emissions. The long-term funding requirements for building and operating the land base as well as for modernising and operating the fleet of ships are in the upper double-digit million range.

Thanks to the measures implemented, additional contributions are being made towards environmental protection in the ecologically sensitive Wadden Sea tidal flats. Mittelplate island has been operated safely by RWE Dea for 25 years now and is meanwhile regarded as exemplary for environmentally compatible oil production.

In his address, Mayor Getsch also referred to the economic significance of the new land base for Cuxhaven. “I’m really delighted that the companies RWE Dea and Entec are making a key contribution towards the extension of Cuxhaven’s port and logistics sector. This is where investments are being made in the future, and the networking process unfolding in the economic region of Cuxhaven will give the trade, artisan and commercial business segments an immense boost,” said Getsch.

In his address, Uwe Balasus-Lange dealt with the importance of the port of Cuxhaven for smooth operation of the Mittelplate drilling and production island: “The Mittelplate island is one of the key domestic suppliers of feedstock commodities. For 25 years now, over 27 million tons of crude oil have been produced there without incident. The safe transshipment in the port of Cuxhaven of the materials required has always been a prerequisite for this success story. Accordingly, the good cooperation between the town of Cuxhaven, the port and the island has contributed towards environmentally compatible oil production in an ecologically sensitive region.”

Optimised Mittelplate infrastructure and logistics 

The land base, with a total area of over 10,000 square metres, consists of a steel storage hall with a height of twelve metres as well as a personnel and administration section. Important items of equipment are kept in the storage hall. A modern merchandise inventory system and improved storage facilities enable speedy and safe transshipment of all materials needed on Mittelplate island. Part of the new land base is located in front of the lock, near Helgoländer Kai. This ensures flexible planning and handling of the ship transfers to the drilling and production island. A mobile port crane is used to load cargo onto the ships. The goods are shipped from the eastern section of the quay wall. EnTec Managing Director Schmidt emphasised: “The construction of the land base and its equipment were planned and executed in such a way as to ensure that smooth handling of operating processes is ensured at all times. The modern merchandise inventory and management system facilitates more flexible planning and handling 
of the ship transfers.”

Source: RWE Dea - www.rwedea.com
Uwe-Stephan Lagies,  Derek Mösche

January 25, 2013

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