Australia’s offshore engineering sector is on the brink of its most complex decade yet. Two enormous tasks are happening in parallel – building offshore wind farms and decommissioning ageing oil and gas assets. Each is essential to Australia’s energy transition. Together, they’re set to test the limits of the nation’s ports, vessels and skilled workforce.
More than 1000 offshore wells and 57 fixed facilities will need to be decommissioned over the next five decades, at an estimated cost exceeding AUD 60 billion, according to the Centre of Decommissioning Australia (CODA).
At the same time, six declared offshore wind zones – from Gippsland and the Southern Ocean in Victoria to the Hunter, the Illawarra, the Bass Strait and Bunbury – are driving Australia’s next clean energy frontier. Victoria alone is targeting 9 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2040.
This is a challenge and an opportunity, said Shahed Jafarpour Hamedani, Senior Maritime Engineer at GHD, speaking at the recent Australasian Coasts & Ports 2025 Conference.
“The overlapping needs and synergies of offshore wind and decommissioning present a unique opportunity for Australia to build a competitive and sustainable offshore service ecosystem.”
Ports: where pressure will hit first
Ports play a vital role in both sides of this transition but they’re already at capacity, according to Jafarpour.
Only a few, such as the Australian Marine Complex (AMC) in Henderson and the Onslow Marine Support Base in Western Australia, can currently handle heavy dismantling operations. Others, including Geelong Port, Port Kembla and Bell Bay, are being assessed or upgraded to support renewable energy projects.
The scale of the task isn’t exaggerated. Decommissioning yards will need to process up to 80,000 t of dismantled material per facility, complete with high-capacity quaysides, laydown zones and steel recycling. Wind farm marshalling and pre-assembly ports, meanwhile, must handle very large turbine foundations, requiring high-capacity quaysides, deepwater berths and heavy-lift pads.
“No single Australian port currently offers all the facilities required for both decommissioning and offshore wind,” Jafarpour said. “Regional clustering – for example in Gippsland, the Illawarra or the Pilbara – could help spread demand and create local jobs.”
Vessels: a shared fleet for a shared future
As well as the ports, both sectors depend on specialised vessels – and Australia has limited domestic availability.
Decommissioning relies on heavy lift vessels, heavy transport vessels, jack-up barges, diving support vessels and anchor handling tug supply ships,” Jafarpour said, “and offshore wind requires heavy lift vessels, wind turbine installation vessels, cable-laying vessels and service operation vessels.
“Globally, demand for these ships already outpaces supply. WTIVs capable of installing the latest 15 MW-plus turbines are booked multiple years in advance and so without a domestic fleet, Australia will depend on costly foreign charters: vulnerable to market shocks and schedule delays.”
To close the gap, Jafarpour suggests a national vessel strategy focused on vessel pooling, long-term charters and incentives for local shipbuilding.
“Investing in marine capability isn’t just about efficiency. It builds resilience and keeps project value in Australia.”
Workforce: reskilling the offshore generation
Behind every turbine and decommissioned platform stands a skilled workforce – but here we also face a deficiency on the supply side.
“The offshore wind sector could create up to 8000 direct jobs annually during construction and 3000–4000 long-term operations roles,” Jafarpour said. Decommissioning adds thousands more, from plug-and-abandonment to subsea inspections and environmental rehabilitation.
Yet few Australian training institutions offer offshore wind–specific programs, and there’s a shortage of marine-experienced trades.
“The skills exist,” Jafarpour said, “but we need to redirect and upskill them. Oil and gas personnel already understand offshore risk, logistics and safety. These are directly transferable to renewables.”
Collaborative training hubs, cross-sector apprenticeships and government-supported reskilling programs will be crucial. These efforts can also anchor economic growth in regional port communities.
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Infrastructure convergence, not competition
Although offshore wind and decommissioning are distinct, they share an industrial backbone:
- Heavy-lift logistics and marine operations
- Similar electrical and subsea systems
- Port and vessel infrastructure
- Safety and certification frameworks
When planned together, the overlap becomes an advantage. Shared logistics, standardised training and common equipment bases can lower costs and improve utilisation.
“Offshore wind and oil and gas decommissioning are scaling together. With the right planning, we can turn potential conflicts into collaboration, building a sovereign offshore industry that serves both energy security and decarbonisation.”
Engineers are at the centre of this transformation – upgrading port infrstructure, modelling foundations, optimising fleet schedules and integrating new technologies such as floating platforms and digital twins for asset management.
“With strategic coordination between governments and industry underpinned by training bodies,” Jafarpour said, “Australia can establish a world-class offshore service ecosystem – supporting the retirement of fossil fuel assets and the rise of renewable energy.”
What does it take to develop and construct an offshore wind farm? In this EA OnDemand webinar, an Australian engineer describes the challenges he experienced managing the supply chain, ports, grid connections and more.