Teesside Operations celebrate 40 years
In October 1975 The Teesside terminal in the United Kingdom was officially opened - an important milestone in Norwegian and British oil industry.
When Ekofisk started production in 1971 it was not obvious that Teesside would be at the receiving end of the pipeline. Norwegian authorities primarily wanted that the oil should be transported to Norway. However, the technical challenges represented by the Norwegian trench outside the coast of Norway and high cost lead to the decision in Norway’s parliament, that crude oil/NGL should be transported to Teesside, UK and dry gas to Emden, Germany through pipelines. This was decided in April 1973.
Construction work at Seal Sands and laying of the 356 kilometres long pipeline started later the same year. The first oil reached the terminal on 19 October 1975 after a four days’ journey from Ekofisk. The official opening took place on 21 October.
Since the ConocoPhillips Norsea Norpipe terminal opened 40 years ago Ekofisk and Teesside have been inextricably linked together. Today the terminal receives around 300.000 barrels of oil and NGL daily from Norwegian and British fields in the North Sea.
The Teesside terminal. (Photo: Peter Smith)
The crude oil and NGL (Natural Gas Liquids) are desalted, fractionated and polished at the facility before the stabilised crude oil and NGL products are stored and exported around the world. The stabilised crude oil is stored in ten giant tanks with a storage capacity of 750,000 barrels each, before being exported. On average, one oil tanker docks at the jetties at Seal Sands almost every other day. It takes up to 24 hours to fill the biggest vessels with crude oil. In addition around 200 ships call per year call to export NGL products.
Teesside Operations currently employs around 400 people, including 240 staff. It continues to invest in the plant to secure its long term stable and safe operations.
The terminal was officially opened on 21 October 1975 by the company’s president William Douce together with John Smith, British undersecretary of State for Energy and Ingvald Ulveseth, Norwegian Minister of Industry.