REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION Annual Report from the European Commission on the Safety of Offshore Oil and Gas Operations for the Year 2022
Date: 2024-05-17
Institutions: Directorate-General for Energy, European Commission
Subjects: activity report, environmental protection, extraction of oil, hydrocarbon, marine pollution, maritime safety, offshore drilling, offshore oil structure, oil pollution, petroleum exploration

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 17.5.2024  COM(2024) 187 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION Annual Report from the European Commission on the Safety of Offshore Oil and Gas Operations for the Year 2022  
 
 
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION 

Annual Report from the European Commission on the Safety of Offshore Oil and Gas 
Operations for the Year 2022 

Table of contents 

1. 

INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 2 

2.  LEGAL BASIS ............................................................................................................................................ 3 

3.  METHODOLOGY AND INFORMATION RECEIVED ........................................................................... 3 

4.  THE EU OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS SECTOR ....................................................................................... 4 

4.1 Installations and production ...................................................................................................................... 4 

4.2 Offshore inspections, investigations, enforcement actions and regulatory framework ............................. 6 

5. 

INCIDENTS AND SAFETY PERFORMANCE ........................................................................................ 8 

6.  CONCLUSIONS ....................................................................................................................................... 10 

1 

 
 
 
1. 

INTRODUCTION 

Since 2016, the European Commission has published an annual report on the safety of EU offshore 
oil and gas operations. 

The  legal  basis  for  this  report  is  Directive  2013/30/EU1  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council  of  12 June 2013  on  safety  of  offshore  oil  and  gas  operations  and  amending  Directive 
2004/35/EC (hereinafter: the “Offshore Safety Directive”). It aims to achieve a high level of safety in 
offshore oil and gas operations, for the benefit of: 

i.  workers; 
ii. 
iii. 
iv. 

the environment; 
offshore platforms and equipment; 
economic activities, such as fishing and tourism.  

The Directive, as implemented by Member States, helps to: 

i. 
ii. 
iii. 

prevent major accidents and incidents; 
reduce the number of incidents; 
ensure  effective  follow-up  of  accidents  and  incidents  to  reduce  the  severity  of  their 
consequences. 

As past reports do, this annual report: 

i. 
ii. 
iii. 

gives the number and type of installations in the EU; 
provides information on safety incidents in these installations; 
assesses the safety performance of offshore oil and gas operations.  

The report now covers a period of six  years, and it serves as a record of the safety performance in 
Member States’ offshore oil and gas activities. 

This  report  is  based  on  annual  reports  and  data  submitted  by  Member  States  as  required  by  the 
Offshore Safety Directive. 

There are 164 offshore oil and gas installations located in the Mediterranean Sea, 135 in the North 
Sea and Atlantic Ocean, 8 in the Black Sea and 4 in the Baltic Sea. In 2022, the competent Member 
State authorities inspected the safety of 485 offshore installations in their jurisdiction. The countries 
reported no major accidents.  

The number of incidents increased from 26 in 2021 to 37 in 2022.  

1 OJ L 178, 28.6.2013, p. 66. 

2 

 
 
 
2. 

LEGAL BASIS 

In  line  with  Article  25  of  the  Offshore  Safety  Directive,  the  Commission  must  publish  an  annual 
report on the safety and environmental impact of offshore oil and gas operations. This report is based 
on individual annual  reports that Member States must submit  to the Commission. Annex  IX (3) to 
the Directive sets out the minimum information the annual reports must contain: 

i. 
ii. 

iii. 
iv. 
v. 

the number, age, and location of installations. 
the  number  and  type  of  inspections  and  investigations  carried  out,  in  addition  to  any 
enforcement action or convictions. 
incidents that have occurred. 
any major change in the offshore regulatory framework. 
the safety performance of offshore oil and gas operations. 

The deadline for Member States to publish and submit the required information is 1 June following 
the reporting period (e.g., 1 June 2023 for 2022). 

Member  States  must  submit  the  information  using  the  templates  provided  in  Commission 
Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1112/2014 of 13 October 20142. The templates allow: 

i. 

operators  and  owners  of  offshore  oil  and  gas  installations  to  share  information  on  major 
hazard indicators. 

ii.  Member States to publish information on major hazard indicators.  

A guidance document3 provides specific information on the Implementing  Regulation and explains 
how to use the reporting templates. 

3.  METHODOLOGY AND INFORMATION RECEIVED  

Member States  must submit clearly defined information  on safety  incidents  in  the offshore oil and 
gas  sector  using  the  templates.  The  data  must  include  information  on  the  offshore  oil  and  gas 
installations in the EU, such as number, type, location, and age. Reports from Member States must 
also provide information on the number of (i) offshore inspections, investigations and enforcement 
actions taken; (ii) incidents by category; and (iii) injuries. 

For this annual report, the Commission has used information provided by Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, 
Denmark,  France,  Germany,  Greece,  Ireland,  Italy,  Malta,  the  Netherlands,  Poland,  Romania,  and 
Spain.  Other  Member  States  were  not  active  in  the  offshore  oil  and  gas  sector  or  did  not  submit 

2 OJ L 302, 22.10.2014, p. 1. 
3  Guidance Document on Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No1112/2014 of 13 October 2014.  
https://energy.ec.europa.eu/document/download/68234e29-37c0-48ed-a48c-cb6c488415f5_en? filename= 
guidelines_reporting_of_accidents.pdf 

3 

 
 
 
 
information. All Member States with offshore oil and gas operations declared they had submitted all 
the required information on all installations.  

4. 

THE EU OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS SECTOR 

4.1 Installations and production 

Member States reported 311 installations in EU waters in 2022 (see Table 1): 

•  Most offshore installations4 were in the Mediterranean Sea. Italy is the most active (with 45% 

of all installations in EU waters) followed by Croatia.  
In  the  North  Sea  and  Atlantic,  most  installations  (approximately  36%  of  all  installations  in 
EU waters) were in the Dutch part of the North Sea (known as the exclusive economic zone 
of the Netherlands). 
In the Black Sea, Romania has a well-established offshore oil and gas industry. Bulgaria has 
continued  offshore  hydrocarbon  exploration,  but  only  had  one  installation  and  is  producing 
small quantities of oil and gas.  
In the Baltic Sea, only Poland had offshore installations.  

• 

• 

• 

Table 1: Installations on 1 January 2022: type of installation by region and Member State 

Region 

Country 

Type of installation (*) 

FMI 

NUI 

FNP 

FPI 

Total 
(region/country) 

Baltic Sea 

Black Sea 

Mediterranean Sea 

North Sea and Atlantic 

3 

3 

5 

0 

5 

13 

2 

1 

9 

1 

36 

7 

1 

2 

26 

Poland 

Bulgaria 

Romania 

Croatia 

Greece 

Italy 

Spain 

Denmark 

Germany 

Ireland 

The 
Netherlands 

1 

1 

3 

1 

2 

149 

17 

1 

129 

2 

96 

11 

1 

0 

84 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

3 

1 

0 

0 
2  

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

2 

0 

0 

2 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

4 

4 

8 

1 

7 

164 

19 

2 

140 

3 

135 

19 

2 

2 

112 

Total (type of 
installation) 
 (*) FMI: Fixed, manned installation; FNP: Fixed, non-production installation; FPI: Floating 

249 

311 

57 

3 

2 

Change 
compared 
to 2021 
-- 

-- 

-- 

-- 

-- 

-- 

-- 

-- 

-- 

-- 

-36 

-- 

-- 

-- 

-36 

-36 

4 Mobile offshore drilling units are not part of the data in section 4.1. 

4 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
production installation; NUI: Normally un-attended installation. 

More than half of offshore installations came into operation between 1980 and 2000. In 2022, one 
new  fixed  installation  came  into  operation.  Since  2010,  the  development  of  new  production 
installations has dropped noticeably in the North Sea and Atlantic. 

Approximately  80%  of  the  EU’s  domestic  oil  and  gas  (16  264  kilotonnes  of  oil  equivalent 
(hereinafter:  “ktoe”))  is  produced  in  the  North  Sea  and  Atlantic  (see  Table  2).  The  biggest 
contributors in  the North  Sea and Atlantic are the Netherlands and Denmark.  Italy  and Croatia are 
the biggest producers in the Mediterranean Sea. Spain and Greece had no production. In the Black 
Sea, only Romania’s output is significant. 

Table 2: Offshore oil and gas production in the EU in ktoe in 2022 

Region 

Country 

ktoe 

% of EU total 

Baltic Sea 

Black Sea 

Mediterranean Sea 

North Sea and Atlantic 

271 

271 

922 

15 

907 

2069 

197 

0 

1872 

0 

13002 

4435 

755 
7812 

Poland 

Bulgaria 

Romania 

Croatia 

Greece 

Italy 

Spain 

Denmark 

Germany 

The 
Netherlands 

1,6% 

1.6% 

5.7% 

0.1% 

5,6% 

12,1% 

1.2% 

0% 

11,5% 

0% 

80% 

27,2% 

4.6% 

48% 

% change 
compared to 
2021 

+1 % 

+1 % 

-12 % 

+1 % 

-13 % 

-4,2 % 

+ 6 % 

- 100% 

-1% 

-100% 

- 12% 

-3% 

-12% 

-16% 

Total 

16 264 

100 % 

-11% 

Production increased slightly in Croatia, with Poland and Bulgaria  almost constant, but declined in 
all other Member States, particularly in the Netherlands, Germany and Romania. Greece and Spain 
had  no  production.  Compared  to  production  in  Member  States  in  2021,  there  was  a  11  %  loss  of 
production (cca. 1 923 tkoe) in 2022.  

From overall production in the EU measured in ktoe, 69 % was gas and 31 % oil.  Denmark (3230 
ktoe) was the most important producer of oil, followed by Germany (745 ktoe), Italy (390 ktoe), and 
the Netherlands (308 ktoe). 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.2 Offshore inspections, investigations, enforcement actions and regulatory framework 

The competent authorities in the Member States regularly inspected the offshore installations in their 
jurisdiction  in  2022  (see  Table  3).  The  more  installations  a  country  had,  the  more  inspections  it 
usually carried out. 

Compared  to  2021,  the number  of  inspections  increased,  and  the  number  of  inspected  installations 
almost  doubled.  Member  States  reported  that,  due  to  geo-political  considerations,  installations 
planned to be decommissioned resumed safe operations for ensuring the security of supply in the EU. 
To  resume  safe  operation  of  installations,  the  authorities  scheduled  more  inspections  than  in  the 
previous year. 

Two  specific  cases  are  Greece  and  the  Netherlands.  In  Greece,  there  were  36-man  days  of 
inspections  and  no  active  installation.  Because  the  installations  were  too  long  in  shut  down,  the 
authorities  had  to  conduct  a  full-scale  inspection  to  confirm  that  operations  could  restart  safely 
(biggest  inspection  ever  done  in  Greece).  In  the  Netherlands,  the  number  of  inspections  tripled 
compared to 2021. At the same time, the Netherlands decommissioned three installations during the 
reporting period. 

Table 3: Offshore inspections by region and Member State in 2022 

Region 

Country 

Inspections 

Working days spent on 
installation (travel time 
not included) 

Number of 
installations 
inspected 

Baltic Sea 

Black Sea 

Mediterranean Sea 

North Sea and Atlantic 

Poland 

Bulgaria 

Romania 

Croatia 

Cyprus 

Greece 

Italy 

Spain 

Denmark 

Germany 

Ireland 

Total 

The Netherlands 

2 

2 

15 

0 

15 

333 

36 

3 

1 

291 
2 

174 

28 

4 

0 

142 

524 

8 

8 

31,5 

0 

31,5 

408 

36 

10 

36 

325 
1 

199 

136 

9 

0 

54 

646,5 

5 

5 

9 

0 

9 

271 

9 

2 

1 

257 
2 

200 

23 

2 

0 

175 
4855 

5 An installation could be inspected more than once during a reporting year, therefore the “number of inspected 
installations” (485) is different from that of “total installations” (311) 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Article  18  of  the  Offshore  Safety  Directive  gives  rights  and  powers  to  the  competent  national 
authorities  for  operations  and  installations  in  their  jurisdiction.  These  powers  include  the  right  to 
prohibit  operations  and  to  require  measures  ensuring  both  risk  management  compliance  and  safe 
operations.  

In  2022,  there  were  no  investigations  regarding  major  accidents.  In  2021,  one  investigation  was 
ongoing (Croatia).   

In 2022, only the Netherlands took an enforcement action.  

5. 

INCIDENTS AND SAFETY PERFORMANCE  

Operators and owners of installations and national authorities must report an accident or situation of 
serious danger (referred to as an ‘event’). However, a single event can be categorised by one or more 
incidents. For example, two incident categories must be notified for the same event if there was an 
(a) unintended release of gas that (b) required the evacuation of staff.  

Member States reported 37 events6 in 2022 compared to 26 in 2021: 

-  Denmark  and  Croatia  –  12  events  each,  no  major  accidents  (comparing  to  13  events,  and 

respectively two events in 2021)7.  

-  The Netherlands – 11 events, no major accidents8 (11 events in 2021).9 
-  Romania and Spain – one event each (no event reported in 2021)10. 

Of the incidents that occurred in 2022, 75,67 % belong to the unintended releases of gas and/or oil, 
18,91 % belong to the category of safety and environmental critical element failure, and  5,40 % to 
loss of wells. None of those incidents led to the loss of life. Also, no vessel collisions or helicopter 
accidents were reported. 

Table 4: Incidents by category (set out in Annex IX to the Offshore Safety Directive) in 2022 

Category 

(a)  Unintended releases – total 

Fires caused by ignited oil/gas 

Explosions caused by ignited oil/gas 

Unignited gas  

Unignited oil  

Total 

28 
0  
0 

17 

11 

Share of 
category 
total 

100% 

0% 

0% 

60,7% 

39,2%% 

Share of total 
incidents 

75,67 % 

0 

0 % 

45,95 % 

29,70 % 

6 The reporting obligation does not cover certain events (e.g. those not related to operations). 
7 For Denmark, all 12 incidents consisted in unintended releases. For Croatia, out of the 12 events, seven were due to    
unintended releases, and five to failures of safety and environmental critical elements. 
8 Major accidents include incidents that could cause fatalities or serious injuries (even if none occurred). 
9 For the Netherlands, the incidents consisted in two loss of wells, and 9 unintended releases. 
10 The events consisted in failures of safety and environmental critical elements. 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
0% 

100% 

0% 

100% 

0% 

100% 

0% 

0% 

0% 

0% 

Hazardous substance  

(b) 

Loss of wells – total 

Blowouts 

Blowout/diverter activation 

Well barrier failure 

(c)  

Safety and environmental critical element failure 

(d) 

Loss of structural integrity – total 

Loss of structural integrity 

Loss of stability/buoyancy 

Loss of station keeping 

(e)   Vessel collisions 

Helicopter accidents 
Fatal accidents(*) 

Serious injuries of five or more people in the same accident 

Evacuation of personnel 

Environmental accidents 

(f) 

(g) 

(h) 

(i) 

(j) 

Total 

(*) Only if related to a major accident. 

0 

2 

0 

2 

0 

7 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 
37 

0% 

 5,40 % 

0 % 

5,40 % 

0% 
18,91 % 

0% 

0% 

0% 

0% 

100% 

In the EU, the total number of incidents increased from 26 in 2021 to 37 in 2022. This increase is due 
to  a rise in  unintended releases of both  oil and gas from  20 to  28 and  in safety  and environmental 
critical element failures from three to seven. Incidents involving loss of wells decreased from three to 
two between 2021 and 2022. No incidents were classified as major accidents in 2022. The Member 
States authorities are assessing, together with the operators, the causes of the incidents to determine 
if investigations or enforcement actions are needed. 

6.  CONCLUSIONS 

In  2022,  there  were  311  offshore  oil  and  gas  installations  in  the  EU.  The  Netherlands 
decommissioned three installations during the reporting period.  

Overall oil and gas production decreased from 18 187 ktoe in 2021 to 16 264 ktoe in 2022 (11% loss 
of production). Denmark and the Netherlands produced 75% of the EU’s total offshore oil and gas.  

The  Commission  has  assessed  the  safety  of  the  EU’s  offshore  oil  and  gas  operations  based  on  the 
information provided by Member States, according to the rules of the Implementing Regulation on 
reporting.  The  accuracy  of  the  Commission’s  analysis  therefore  depends  on  the  accuracy  of  this 
information. 

In 2022, national authorities kept up their efforts to ensure a high level of safety in offshore oil and 
gas  operations  by  inspecting  485  installations  (compared  to  248  in  2021).  One  Member  State  (the 
Netherlands) reported an enforcement action. 

8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
There were no major accidents in 2022. The total number of incidents increased from 26 in 2021 to 
37 in 2022. No fatality was reported, 44 injuries and 4 serious injuries occurred.  

During  2022,  due  to  geo-political  considerations,  installations  planned  to  be  decommissioned 
resumed safe operations for ensuring the security of supply in the EU. This can explain the increase 
in  the number of incidents.  The Member States authorities have taken measures for addressing the 
causes  of  and  remedy  the  incidents  that  occurred.  If  needed,  investigations  and  potentially 
enforcement actions will be put in place. 

In  conclusion,  due  to  the  obligatory  inspections  and  actions  taken,  as  stipulated  by  the  Offshore 
Safety Directive, there was no significant negative impact on the offshore oil and gas operations.  

To maintain this high level of safety, the Commission continues to work closely with the European 
Union Offshore Authorities Group (EUOAG). The EUOAG promotes best practices for carrying out 
safely all operations, and assists national authorities represented in the group.  

9