Background

摘要

There are almost 900 offshore oil and gas installations operating in the EU. Of these, 486 are in the UK, 181 in the Netherlands, 61 in Denmark, two in Germany, two in Ireland, 123 in Italy, four in Spain, two in Greece, seven in Romania, one in Bulgaria and three in Poland. Cyprus and Malta plan to start drilling activities in the near future. Aside from the number of drilling installations, depth is also important as divers only operate at maximum depths of 200-250 metres. At depths of 1,000 metres, pressure makes rescue work difficult even by remote control. Norway, however, now has operating offshore activities at depths of up to 1,300 metres. In the UK, West of the Shetlands, exploration is planned in a depths of up to 1,600 metres. Romania has awarded a licence for drilling in the Black Sea, at a water depth of 1,000 metres. Drillings are also planned in the Mediterranean - in Egypt - even up to 2,700 metres.