LOG904-116 Offshore Upstream Logistics (Autumn 2026)

The course gives an outline of the offshore energy developments on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) such as offshore oil and gas production and offshore wind energy production. The course introduces the main technologies used for offshore Oil and Gas and Offshore Wind energy production, the main stages and phases of offshore development projects including offshore decarbonization projects, the current and the planned activities on the NCS.

The value chains for the upstream offshore wind energy and offshore oil and gas production will be studied from supply chain and logistics perspective, focusing on logistics infrastructure, logistics activities, logistics resources, and logistics operations management, illustrated on the examples of offshore development projects and the examples from offshore operating companies.

The course will concentrate on logistics operations, logistics challenges and logistics costs during installation and maintenance of offshore wind farms, during supply of material and personnel to offshore oil and gas installations, and during design of offshore emergency response systems.

Upstream offshore logistics decision problems on strategical, tactical and operational levels, and logistics management models and software for development of logistics infrastructure, and for logistics resources and logistics operations planning will be studied.

Supply chain design, facility location and flow planning; logistics activities in upstream value chain; logistics resource planning and operations management; decision support tools, optimization and simulation models.

Knowledge:

After completing the course, the students will know about historical development of offshore oil and gas logistics infrastructure on the NCS, upstream part of offshore oil and gas supply chain, and offshore upstream logistics activities. The students will have knowledge of typical logistics planning problems in offshore oil and gas supply chains such as cargo and personnel transportation planning from supply bases to offshore installations by vessels and helicopters, operations and management of onshore supply bases, planning of emergency response system and rescue resources positioning, and decarbonization projects on the examples of offshore operating energy companies and their planning procedures and decision support tools.

The students will also know about historical development and trends in offshore wind production, current advantages and disadvantages, offshore wind farm examples, offshore wind turbines components, logistical challenges when designing, scheduling installation and performing maintenance of offshore wind farms, as well as logistical resources used. The students will have knowledge of typical planning problems arising during offshore wind farm design including site selection, wind turbine location, and cabling layout. The students will know about logistics resource planning and process scheduling during offshore wind farm installation phase, and logistics planning problems for offshore wind farm maintenance required on strategical, tactical and operational levels.

Skills

After completing the course, the students will be able to

• describe the parts of the offshore upstream oil and gas supply chain, the supply chain logistical infrastructure and resources, the types of offshore upstream logistics activities
• identify the types of supply vessel planning, helicopter personnel transportation planning and emergency response system planning problems on strategical, tactical and operational levels
• derive logistics challenges in supply vessel planning and helicopter personnel transportation planning to offshore oil and gas installations on different levels, discuss planning practices and tools
• define the phases of offshore wind projects, the offshore wind farms logistical infrastructure and resources, the types of logistics activities and operations
• identify different planning level problems in offshore wind farm logistics
• describe logistics challenges in wind farm siting, wind turbine location, cabling layout, installation scheduling planning, fleet planning for wind farm maintenance, scheduling of maintenance tasks for offshore wind farms and routing and scheduling of maintenance fleet

General competences

After completing the course, the students will be able to

• understand current and future advantages and disadvantages of offshore oil and gas production
• understand current and future advantages and disadvantages of offshore wind energy production
• identify upstream logistics activities in offshore oil and gas and offshore wind energy production
• identify types of planning problems arising in upstream offshore energy logistics networks on different levels in research and work contexts

Lecturing full days from Monday to Wednesday (including guest lectures from industry), working on

examination assignments from Monday and full day on Thursday, listening to presentations on Friday

with participation in discussions

Form of assessment: Oral presentation of assignments

Proportion: 100 %

Duration: Full day on Friday

Grouping: Individually or in group of maximum three students

Grading scale: Letter (A - F)

Support material: Lecture materials, reports, published reviews and research works, relevant

webpages of companies.