Wintershall Noordzee – From Offshore Operation to Centralized Onshore Control

Wintershall Noordzee has been active as an oil and gas producer in the North Sea since 1965. From its offices in Rijswijk and Den Helder, the company manages offshore production platforms in both Dutch and British waters. It covers the full lifecycle of oil and gas projects, from exploration to decommissioning, with a strong focus on reusing existing installations such as relocating platform topsides to new sites.

Through the Remote Controlled Operations Center in Den Helder, nine unmanned installations are monitored in real time. Safety and sustainability are at the heart of these operations, supported by advanced monitoring systems and environmentally responsible decommissioning practices. With years of technical expertise and operational experience, Wintershall Noordzee continues to set the standard in offshore energy production.

The Challenge

The traditional way of working provided limited control over operations. Each platform had its own monitoring and control systems, resulting in fragmented visibility. Alarms were handled locally, which made central coordination and prioritization impossible. This hindered timely responses to irregularities and made it difficult to identify overarching operational trends.

The lack of centralized control also led to inefficient use of personnel. Operators were spread across different locations, often on standby at installations with minimal activity, while other sites required more attention. This imbalance caused capacity loss and unnecessary workload for the teams.

As the operation grew, this decentralized setup reached its limits. Operators could not always be deployed where they were needed most, slowing down decision-making and increasing safety risks. Wintershall Noordzee needed a single central location to oversee and manage all processes with real-time insight into every installation and smarter allocation of people and resources.

The Solution: Innovative Technology and Ergonomic Design

INTER designed and implemented a completely new onshore control room for Wintershall Noordzee, enabling centralized monitoring and control of offshore production facilities. Together with an ergonomist, INTER developed a future-ready concept for the layout and design of the new control room, allowing for scalability and expansion over time.

The room features three ergonomic operator workstations, each equipped with ten monitors controlled by a single mouse and keyboard. Thanks to the flexible Barco KVM solution, all sources can be freely assigned to both the workstations and the videowall, providing maximum flexibility in daily operations.

INTER also designed and delivered the entire network architecture and audio communication system. This integrated approach allows INTER to take full responsibility for the system from source to operator interface, ensuring a reliable and future-proof total solution.

The Results: Greater Comfort and Improved Performance

With all offshore installations now monitored and managed from one central control room, physical deployment offshore is often no longer required. This has led to significant savings in personnel and logistics costs.

Previously, operators had to rotate between platforms approximately twice per month, involving helicopter transport and accommodation expenses. A single helicopter flight can cost between €2,200 and €3,300 per passenger, depending on flight duration, number of passengers, time of day, and weather conditions. By largely eliminating these flights, Wintershall Noordzee saves a substantial amount each year.

Personnel utilization has also become more efficient. The cost of an offshore operator is considerably higher than that of an onshore operator. With fewer staff required offshore, Wintershall Noordzee can deploy its workforce more effectively and reduce unnecessary standby hours.

In addition, fewer helicopter flights directly contribute to improved safety and sustainability. Most offshore incidents occur during transport, so fewer flights mean lower risk for personnel and a smaller CO₂ footprint. This centralized approach therefore benefits both operational efficiency and environmental impact.