A Cost-Driven, High-Level Optimization of OSV Operations in the Flemish Pass

This paper presents a cost driven, high-level optimization of Offshore Supply Vessel (OSV) operations in the Flemish Pass sector. This is an area located in the offshore waters of Newfoundland where significant oil discoveries were made in recent years, but where oil extraction will pose logistical challenges due to the increased distance from shore bases. In the first part of this paper, a simple non-linear programming model is used to minimize the monthly costs to supply a hypothetical offshore oil installation located in the Flemish Pass and to assess whether hypothetical fast supply vessels make economic sense. The second part of this paper explores the application of Pareto frontiers to the non-linear system, to evaluate the impact of schedule slack on costs, but also to look at winter operations in the Flemish Pass area.