Internship | Assessment of Future Logistics Demand vs Supply in North Sea Energy

This internship opportunity focuses on Assessment of Future Logistics Demand vs Supply in North Sea Energy.

About this position

The North Sea is rapidly evolving into a multi-use energy system, with large-scale deployment of offshore wind, carbon capture and storage (CCS), offshore hydrogen, and continued oil & gas operations. This transition places unprecedented demands on the offshore logistics supply chain, including ports, vessels, and operational strategies across installation, operations & maintenance (O&M), and decommissioning phases.

What will be your role?

This internship focuses on identifying and quantifying potential gaps between future logistics demand and available supply in the Dutch North Sea sector within the 2030–2050 energy roadmap. The work will take a system-level perspective, considering Dutch port infrastructure and the broader North Sea vessel network.

You will contribute to a high-impact study in the North Sea Energy programme, involving industry stakeholders and international partners, with the goal of delivering a public report/whitepaper that supports strategic decision-making in offshore energy development in the North Sea.

Proposed tasks

The main objective is to assess the mismatch between logistics demand and supply across multiple offshore energy sectors and to explore potential solutions, with expected tasks including:

• Map expected offshore energy developments (wind, CCS, hydrogen, O&G) and associated logistics demand (ports, vessels, human resources).
• Identify and characterize current and planned logistics supply in the Dutch and surrounding North Sea region.
• Analyze gaps between demand and supply across installation, O&M, and decommissioning phases.
• Assess key constraints such as port capacity, vessel availability, weather windows, and operational bottlenecks.
• Explore potential solutions and innovations (e.g., new vessel concepts, port upgrades, operational strategies).
• Engage with project partners and stakeholders to validate assumptions and findings.
• Translate results into clear insights and recommendations for a public report/whitepaper.

What we expect from you

• You have a strong analytical mindset and an interest in offshore energy systems, logistics, and system-level challenges.
• You have a background in engineering, maritime, offshore, transport/logistics, or a related field, and are currently enrolled in a Master’s programme in a relevant discipline.
• You are interested in complex, interdisciplinary problems combining technical, logistical, and strategic aspects.
• You are comfortable working with data, assumptions, and uncertainty to build structured analyses (quantitative or qualitative).
• You can translate broad research questions into clear methodologies and actionable insights.
• You communicate clearly in written and verbal form and can structure your work into a coherent report.

What you'll get in return

• A highly professional, innovative internship environment, within a team of top experts.
• A suitable internship allowance (615 euro for wo-, hbo- and mbo-students, for a full-time internship).
• Possibility of eight hours of free leave per internship month (for a full-time internship).
• Use of a laptop.
• An allowance for travel expenses in case you don’t receive an OV-card.

TNO as an employer

At TNO, we innovate for a healthier, safer and more sustainable life. And for a strong economy. There is all the space and support for your talent and ambition. You work with people who will challenge you: who inspire you and want to learn from you. Our state-of-the-art facilities are there to realize your vision. What you do at TNO matters: impact makes the difference. Because with every innovation you contribute to tomorrow’s world.

louis.huang@tno.nl