Improvements have been achieved on several areas in 2009.

“Our overall environmental impact has improved in 2009 compared to 2008. This shows that our focus on environmental improvements is working. We are naturally pleased with the result and it underlines how we can reduce our environmental impact through process optimization and energy efficiency in the production”, says Franz Willum Sørensen, Head of Maersk Oil’s Danish activities.

Key points in the Environmental Status Report 2009 include:

·                Total CO₂ emissions from offshore activities in 2009 were 10 percent lower than in 2008. This is primarily due to reduced flaring and better energy efficiency.

·                Total use of chemicals in the production decreased. Furthermore, the volume of discharged chemicals was reduced significantly – a 35 percent reduction was achieved for “red chemicals” alone.

·                Total volume of oil in produced water discharged to sea decreased by more than 20 percent from 2005 to 2009. In the same period the average concentration of oil in produced water was reduced by 30 percent. This improvement is the result of major investments in increased water treatment capacity and introduction of enhanced treatments methods. However, the amount of produced water is expected to increase in the near future as the fields mature. As a result improving our performance on oil in produced water will be even more challenging.

·                In 2010 particular attention will be given to further reduction of CO₂-emissions. We are investigating the feasibility of increasing the production of oil and gas through the injection of CO₂ in our reservoirs – a technique known as Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). Another project is the possibility of storing CO₂ in our reservoirs in the Danish North Sea. Several technical, financial and political challenges remain to be overcome before the project can be implemented. 

Comments or questions about the Environmental Status Report 2009 are welcomed and may be communicated to: environment@maerskoil.com.

Press inquiries should be directed to Thomas Grøndorf, Head of Communications, on tel. +45 3363 4089.

Maersk Oil

May 2010