In some cases, operations in the North Sea are visible from the mainland in clear weather. The boat installing the production platform and drilling rig is larger than the final production platform. These boats are on site for several days to weeks after which they leave again.
Below are two photos taken from the shore in 2017 when the drilling rig was on site. Note! This is a drilling rig, it is larger than the final production platform.
Figure 1: Photo of the drilling rig in 2017 from Schiermonnikoog. The top right shows an example of a drilling and production platform together.
Figure 2: Photo of the drilling rig from the promenade of Borkum (Germany), with Riffgat wind farm on the right