Offshore operations are the backbone of the renewable energy transition, but they also remain one of its biggest carbon challenges.
Heavy fuel reliance, fragmented logistics, and outdated data systems keep emissions stubbornly high. The path to net zero requires a revolution; introducing essentially cleaner, smarter, and more resilient offshore operations.
Why offshore operations matter in the race to net-zero
Offshore operations are central to a successful green energy transition. Improved construction, operations, and maintenance methods of essential infrastructure ensures better productivity and cleaner production.
The problem is that these operations are still extremely carbon-intensive, relying on heavy fuels and inefficient logistics, even with decades of improvement already behind them.
Service vessels (which area already running on fossil fuels) usually carry outdated navigation systems, and rely on weather insights led by fragmented, low-resolution data. It’s a compounding issue. Poorly informed navigation choices and incorrect conditions reports result in higher fuel burn rates; and contributes to port congestion problems, as well.
Better navigation + data = reduced emissions + cost saving + project acceleration!
Decarbonisation, through a combination of infrastructure and operations upgrades, is at the heart of scaling offshore renewables and meeting impending IMO carbon targets, or the UK net-zero deadlines.
The reality of offshore operations emissions today
Understanding where these emissions actually come from within offshore operations processes is instrumental to targeting any meaningful reductions.
So first, let’s breakdown the key emissions sources:
| Emission Source | What Drives It | Why Its Significant |
| Service & Support Vessels (O&M, Crew transfer, Installation vessels, etc.) | • Fuel consumption (marine gas oil or heavy fuel), inefficiencies in routing, idle times, weather delays • Vessel age, hull condition, propulsion type also matter | These are frequent, repeated emissions, not one-off like foundation manufacture or installation. Many operations depend on these vessels daily. |
| Port & Berthing Emissions | • Ships at berth emit CO₂ (and other pollutants) while waiting, loading/unloading • Port infrastructure such as shore-power or lack thereof influences idle emissions | Even though stationary, emissions add up. Ports serve many vessels, and “at berth” emissions are non-trivial. |
| Logistics & Transport of Components | • Transporting large, heavy parts (monopolies, blades, towers, cables) over long distances • Vessel choice, transhipment, multiple port calls | Long supply chains greatly multiply emissions. The farther and more fragmented the route, the worse the impact. |
| Standby Delays & Weather Impacts | • Waiting for safe weather windows and unplanned downtime • Rerouting • Delays due to low-resolution forecasting | These inefficiencies both increase fuel burn and slow project schedules, compounding cost and emissions. |
But why are these operations impacts often overlooked? There’s a few reasons.
Big emissions in offshore wind tend to be attributed to the manufacture of steel, foundations, towers, and turbine components. These are visible, one-off, and expensive, and this has pulled significant regulatory and investment focus. So much policy, R&D & investment has already focused on turbine technology, materials, offshore wind farm siting and grid integration.
By contrast, vessel fuel burn, port delays, weather risk etc. are ongoing and diffuse, making them less glamorous and harder to measure precisely. The supporting operations are sometimes seen as secondary, despite their growing share of lifecycle emissions.
But offshore operations are complex and depend on many moving parts, including vessel fleets, weather windows, port infrastructure, and route planning. These are interdependent, and while improving any single element yields benefit, impact becomes truly visible when they’re all improved together – and this takes time.
To make it worse, operational data (vessel fuel consumption, weather delays, routing inefficiencies) is often proprietary or fragmented. Lack of consistent, high-resolution metocean data means delays or inefficiencies are under-estimated.
Cutting emissions in vessel operations, optimising logistics, and reducing standby delays are high-return levers, often less capital-intensive than large infrastructure changes.
Without bringing operations to the centre of decarbonisation strategies, projects risk cost overruns, regulatory pressures, and failing emissions targets – even when installing state-of-the-art infrastructure.
Regulatory and policy drivers pushing change
The pressure for change is multifaceted, made up of a complex web of international frameworks and national initiatives, as well as environmental realities.
In July 2023, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) updated its reduction targets, aiming to reach complete net-zero global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and striving for a reduction of at least 70% pre-2008 levels by the end of this decade. The UK’s own net-zero goals align with the IMO, also aiming for complete reduction by the middle of the century.
Consistency with the international standard is going to be essential if the UK wants to remain competitive and compliant regarding international offshore operations and energy production.
The UK has seen renewed investment and initiatives for increasing offshore wind capacity, but cleaner energy production means nothing if servicing and maintenance remain carbon heavy.
Scrutiny is coming from the international community and potential investors to bridge this gap.
Efficiency as the first step to decarbonisation
Efficiency is the hidden lever of offshore emissions reduction. Smarter logistics and planning opens the door to reduced fuel burn, incorrect weather windows, and downtime at port – and this is at the heart of each of the following reduction methods we’ll consider.
The next-generation of tools and frameworks must incorporate efficiency as a feature. High-resolution wave and metocean data that can provide accurate insights for better navigation is one approach, and that’s what we’re focused on here at NeuWave.
But there’s more to it than that! So, how else can the offshore industry get more efficient, and drive towards decarbonisation targets?
1. Digitalisation and data-driven operations
High resolution oceanographic and marine geospatial data is only newly available to the offshore operations industry. For decades, captains have been forced to rely on low quality, fragmented environmental intelligence data, old-fashioned paper charts, and their own finely-tuned human intuition.
Updating systems and workflows won’t happen overnight, and uptake on smaller vessels or for private companies may take some time. But advances in digital technologies and data analytics are enabling better insights and improved efficiency. More accurate weather windows, precise digital simulations, and predictive modelling can all help to de-risk offshore operations.
Key impact: Fewer false weather windows, better utilisation of vessels, accelerated project timelines, reduced fuel burn
Confident decisions can only be backed by reliable insights…
NeuWave’s models run at up to 500m resolution high-fidelity data, offering industry-leading precision and unprecedented insight. Find out more and start saving days offshore right away.
2. Alternative fuels and green vessel technology
Improved operational efficiency for offshore industry is going to require more than just next-gen tools, though. As with decarbonisation onshore, offshore vessels will need to consider alternative fuel sources.
Fuels like green hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, and various different biofuels (HVO, biodiesel, bio-methane) are all currently being explored.
Green hydrogen and ammonia offer zero-carbon combustion (when produced renewable), but come with significant challenges: ammonia is toxic and corrosive, hydrogen has storage and energy-density issues; and both require entirely new bunking infrastructure.
Methanol and biofuels, in contrast, are closer to deployment. Methanol is easier to handle and store, and biofuels can often leverage existing engine designs and fuel supply chains.
Hybridisation and electrification offer attractive stopgaps, especially for smaller vessels and port operations. Battery hybrid drive or plug-in systems for crew transfer vessels, harbour tugs and service craft can dramatically reduce emissions on short, repetitive routes with frequent charging opportunities.
When we’re thinking about timelines, methanol retrofit kits are already being developed for high-horsepower engines, targeting large emissions reductions by as early as this year! Ammonia-fuelled vessels are being built or converted, but full commercial scale-up is expected to take at least until next decade.
Key impact: Fleet future-proofing, national infrastructure upgrades, realistic transition pathways, long-term emission reductions
3. Building resilient, low-carbon supply chains
Decarbonisation offshore doesn’t stop at service vessels and infrastructure materials. The way components, vessels, and people move through the system has a major influence on cost, reliability, and carbon output.
Supply chains are often stretched across continents, and when they’re poorly integrated, emissions and downtime can quickly add up. Resilient, low-carbon supply chains demand integration; smarter coordination between ports and vessels ensures that components, crews, and equipment arrive where they’re needed without costly downtime.
Predictive planning and digital tracking tools make it possible to shift from rushed, reactive management to proactive strategies that anticipate bottlenecks before they cause problems.
Collaboration is also critical. By working with developers, ports, and technology providers, they are embedding low-carbon practices into every stage of operations – from electrified port infrastructure to hybrid vessel fleets and advanced emissions monitoring.
This collaborative approach not only cuts carbon but also builds supply chains resilient enough to handle the industry’s rapid growth.
Key impact: Robust networks, lower operational risk, green infrastructure, stronger resilience for scale
Stronger, greener offshore supply chains built for resilience…
With integrated logistics, digital planning, and cross-industry collaboration NeuWave’s no-code platform streamlines data into multi-use insights.
Towards a net-zero offshore industry for the future
The road to complete decarbonisation for our offshore industries is a little bumpy, but we’re well on our way.Before the end of the decade, digitalisation and better planning systems will unlock quick, low-cost gains via reduced delays, lower emissions, and faster project delivery timelines for greener infrastructure.
The next decade marks a time of scaling, when alternative fuels and hybrid vessels move from pilot projects into the mainstream, reshaping vessel operations and necessary supporting port infrastructure.
All going to plan, by 2050, we should see fully net-zero operations supported by smart ports, electrified logistics, and integrated digital ecosystems.
Final thoughts – navigating the decarbonisation journey
Offshore operations remain both the backbone of renewable energy growth and the bottleneck holding it back. The offshore sector is at a crossroads.
The way forward is not one giant leap, but steady steps – efficiency upgrades, digitalisation, greener fuels, and supply chain resilience. Together, they form the path towards net zero.
We know our role here at NeuWave is clear. By delivering high-resolution, high-fidelity ocean data, we empower offshore operators to accelerate each stage of this transition with confidence. But stakeholders still face a choice: wait for regulations to force change, or act decisively and lead the transition.
Accelerating offshore decarbonisation with smarter tools for today…
NeuWave delivers industry-leading, high-resolution ocean intelligence that empowers confident decisions offshore.
