In 2013 we stepped up our activities at the source, first and foremost with new projects in Norway, Argentina, Russia, Germany and the Middle East. We were also very successful in our traditional countries such as the Netherlands. In all our activities, health, safety, security, sustainability and environmental protection (HS3E) are always our top priorities. When it comes to occupational safety and health protection, we continue to pursue our ambitious target of zero incidents in all our activities. The track record of the Wintershall Group remains very good in this area. A particularly positive development is that incidents among our contractors have almost halved. Yet we still see room for improvement, as the incident numbers among our own employees have risen. Again and again we see the importance of safety-conscious conduct at the workplace. Each and every member of staff must assume responsibility for their own safety and health – and for that of their colleagues. Henceforth we will work even harder to raise this awareness among our employees. One outstanding example of a proactive attitude is the development of a safe transport system for gas cylinders developed by our staff at the Rehden site. Their commitment was not just recognized internally: after having won an award by the Berufsgenossenschaft Rohstoffe und chemische Industrie (BG RCI), the professional association of the natural resources and chemicals industry in Germany, the innovative system won the prestigious German Occupational Safety Prize in 2013. In October 2013 we took over the offshore oil production field Brage as operator from our partner Statoil. This platform off the coast of Bergen is the first production platform operated by Wintershall Norge. Here we want to build on 20 years of safe operations. The integration of proven safety standards into our own HSE concepts was one of the key requirements for a smooth takeover. The challenges related to environmental protection and the advantages of structured environmental management were among the themes discussed by internal and external experts on a stakeholder workshop on the subject of sustainability to which Wintershall invited in 2013 for the first time. For us, taking ecological and societal concerns into account is a prerequisite for the long-term commercial success of our business. In this spirit, we completed the renovation and renaturalization of the last plant landfill site in Germany. The site was converted into a grass landscape with water areas and gravel stone islands. An energy management system in accordance with ISO Norm 50001 was launched at the production sites, the
natural gas storage facilities in Rehden and Jemgum as well as the administrative offices in Barnstorf. Our commercial success in 2013 was the confirmation of our efforts. Sales improved in 2013 by 16 percent to 14,776 million euros compared to the previous year. 2,929 million euros of this came from exploration & production and 11,847 million euros in natural gas trading. Despite the production stop in Libya, the crude oil and natural gas production stayed with 132 million barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) on the level of the previous year. We intend to build on this in 2014. Despite all the changes, our goal is to maintain our operational standards at the highest level possible. For me, this means first and foremost HS3E. You will find more information in this report, which focuses on the issue of natural resources. It also contains a summary of our activities in the area of health protection, safety, sustainability and environmental protection in 2013 as well as our key performance indicators. It is our competent, extremely motivated, innovative, and, most importantly, healthy staff that has made our company’s success possible. Their health and safety are the very foundations of our work! We must and will devote the greatest attention to both in 2014, for health and safety are of utmost priority. We will make every effort to ensure that the employees at Winters hall continue to have the best and safest working conditions in the future. I am confident that together we will master the challenges of the future and will achieve our goals. Our focus is on a secure and sustainable future. Therefore in the days and weeks ahead our thoughts are constantly with our colleagues in Libya – we wish them the strength and persistence to continue shaping the future of their country. I firmly believe that with patience and trust, Libya will find its own way. Wintershall – Promoting responsibility.
Rainer Seele Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors