OESA

Guides

Short explanations for students who want to understand energy, offshore and shipping: the concepts, where the figures come from and how to read them. Every guide links to its sources.

All guides

Reading the Norwegian shelf: fields, discoveries, licences and operatorsProduction licences, operators, licensing rounds, well names, discoveries, fields and resource classes explained, with links to Sodir's FactPages and FactMaps.
Petroleum geology and exploration on the Norwegian shelfHow oil and gas form and are trapped, the geology of the shelf, seismic, prospects, exploration wells and well data, with links to the directorate's data.
Offshore installations: platform types and how a field is developedSteel jackets, concrete platforms, semi-submersibles, tension leg platforms, spars, FPSOs and subsea systems explained – and the steps from discovery via the PDO to operation and decommissioning.
The oil service industry: who supplies what, and how to read the figuresSeismic, drilling, subsea, yards, engineering, maintenance and vessels: project phases, contract types, order backlog and book-to-bill explained.
Gas from the Norwegian shelf to EuropeHow Norwegian gas reaches its buyers: the pipeline system operated by Gassco, the processing plants at Kollsnes, Kårstø and Nyhamna, the receiving terminals in Europe and LNG from Melkøya.
The energy transition on the Norwegian shelfPower from shore, CO₂ storage (Sleipner, Snøhvit, Northern Lights) and offshore wind explained – and what it means for oil, gas and shipping.
The Nordic power market: how the power price is setHow the power price is set: the Nord Pool auction, system price and area prices, NO1–NO5, hydro reservoirs, cables to Europe and the futures market.
Oil and gas prices: Brent, WTI, TTF and Henry HubWhat Brent, WTI, TTF and Henry Hub are, which units they are quoted in, how to convert between them, and what moves prices. With links to EIA, ICE and CME.
The oil market: supply, demand, inventories and refiningHow the oil market fits together: OPEC+ and spare capacity, inventories, crude quality, refining and crack spreads, and the reports the market follows.
The freight market: Baltic indices, ship sizes and routesHow freight is priced: charter parties, TCE and Worldscale, ship sizes from VLCC to Handysize, the Baltic indices and what drives rates.
Tankers and LNG carriersCrude tankers, product tankers, LNG and LPG carriers explained: what they carry, how they are chartered, a worked TCE example, and how the tanker market links to the oil trade.
Dry bulk: from Capesize to HandysizeBulk carriers and their cargoes – iron ore, coal, grain and minor bulks – how the routes run, why many ships sail back empty, and what drives rates and the Baltic Dry Index.
Maritime law and marine insuranceCharter parties and BIMCO forms, the bill of lading, hull and P&I insurance, the Nordic Plan, general average, collisions and limitation of liability.
The rig market and offshore vesselsPlatform supply vessels (PSV), anchor handlers (AHTS), construction support vessels (CSV), jack-ups, semi-submersibles and drillships – and how dayrates, utilisation and backlog fit together.
AIS, sanctions and the shadow fleetWhat AIS is, which ships must transmit, how ships are tracked from shore and satellite, where the data fails – and what sanctions lists, the price cap and the term shadow fleet mean.
How to assess a new discoveryHow to read a discovery announcement and think about volumes, infrastructure, cash flow, NPV, breakeven and petroleum tax – with a worked example.
How to value energy stocksMarket value and EV, multiples such as EV/EBITDA, free cash flow, NAV for oil companies and shipowners, dividends and sensitivity to prices and rates.
How to read an oil and gas company's annual reportWhere to find production, reserves, cash flow, capex, debt and cost per barrel in an oil and gas company's reports, and how to read the figures – with a worked example and a checklist.
Writing an analysis: thesis, figures, risks and a callHow an OESA analysis is built: one clear thesis, figures with sources, the risks, and a call that is followed up and counts towards the team's track record.
Careers in energy, offshore and shippingWhere the jobs in energy, offshore and shipping are, when to apply for summer jobs and internships, how to apply, and what working offshore requires.
Glossary: energy, the shelf and shippingShort explanations of terms about the Norwegian shelf, installations, gas, prices and shipping: from PDO and tension leg platform to Brent, 2P, AIS, TCE and power from shore.
Voyage estimation: how to calculate what a voyage earnsHow a voyage estimate works in shipping: freight, bunkers, port costs, commissions, sea days and TCE, with a fully worked example voyage.
The largest oil and gas fields on the Norwegian continental shelfThe 20 fields that produced the most on the Norwegian continental shelf in 2025, from Troll and Johan Sverdrup to Ormen Lange, with sea area and operator.
Shut-down fields and decommissioning on the Norwegian shelfWhich Norwegian offshore fields have shut down, why fields close and what happens to the platforms afterwards, from Albuskjell and Cod to Frigg and Volve.

The guides are written by OESA students to explain concepts and how things fit together. They are not investment advice. Figures that are not definitions carry a source and a date; if you find an error, let us know at philipstave@oesa-global.com.