(Stavanger, 31 January 2012) Wintershall, the largest German crude oil and natural gas producer with operations worldwide, today 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.