John Berndt Gerstenlauer

Wintershall is a wholly owned subsidiary of BASF, which is based in Ludwigshafen, and specializes in energy. Wintershall is active in various regions of the world in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas. In Europe the BASF subsidiary trades and sells natural gas. The company also markets storage capacities for oil and gas, transportation capacities for gas as well as optic fiber capacities. Wintershall, which has its headquarters in Kassel, has been active in the exploration and production of oil and gas for more than 75 years and is now Germany's largest producer of crude oil and natural gas. In its exploration and production activities, Wintershall deliberately focuses on selected core regions where the company possesses a wealth of regional and technological expertise. These regions include Europe, North Africa, South America as well as Russia and the Caspian Sea region. In addition, these operations are complemented by the company's growing exploration activities in the Arabian Gulf. The company is actively pursuing a policy of ongoing investment in the development of new deposits and the expansion of existing fields. While doing so, Wintershall attaches the same importance to stringent environmental protection and work safety requirements as it does to its economic targets.