Scotland’s offshore wind targets are ambitious. Meeting them means making sure the logistics system is fit for purpose.
Floating wind demands new logistics models including large assembly hubs, different tow-out strategies, new sequencing between fabrication and offshore works. Treating these projects like scaled-up prototypes instead of industrial operations is a fast route to delays and overruns.
Success for wind projects means mastering the entire operational ecosystem, not just logistics and materials management, but also port coordination, vessel scheduling, workforce planning, fabrication sequencing, offshore installation, and data-driven decision-making. When all these elements work in harmony, schedules are met, costs are controlled, and projects consistently deliver value to investors, communities, and the UK supply chain.
The market context makes this more critical than ever: capacity is tight, scrutiny is higher, and margins are thinner.
That’s why we partnered with Haskoning and Scottish Enterprise to build and run a simulation of the offshore wind supply chain from port operations through to installation.
This wasn’t about theorising. We needed to identify the supply chain challenges and test how current infrastructure handles real constraints - ports, vessels, weather and installation sequencing - at scale. Traditional planning tools can’t account for the interaction of all these variables in a way that produces reliable evidence.
A model for success
Working with Haskoning and Scottish Enterprise, we built an end‑to‑end simulation model using real data, developer input and industry insight. The model ran over multiple future scenarios and five-year timeframes, covering four simultaneous offshore wind construction programmes. It simulated more than 2 million vessel movements across 30 different scenarios to stress‑test the efficiency of various port strategies.
Three findings stand out:
- Port strategy optimisation: Multiple ports could be utilised more effectively than previously thought, reducing reliance on a 'Super Port' and lowering bottleneck risk.
- Certain bottlenecks are systemic. Wet storage limitations for floating turbine units and integration berth constraints were flagged, guiding strategic investment decisions.
- Collaboration enabled: The insights encourage coordinated planning across the Scottish offshore wind sector, helping to avoid delays and inefficiencies.
This project provides evidence, not assertion. For developers, ports and policymakers, it shows where constraints sit, how risk propagates and where targeted investment can deliver a real impact to offshore wind delivery in Scotland. It also underscores the need for collaboration across the supply chain if Scotland’s offshore wind goals are to be delivered without costly delays.
To dive into the details of this study, click below to read the full findings report: