Ampelmann

What Ampelmann does

Ampelmann Operations B.V. is a Dutch designer, manufacturer and operator of motion compensated offshore access systems, founded in 2007 as a TU Delft spin-off by Jan van der Tempel and headquartered in Delft, the Netherlands. The company develops, builds, leases and services hexapod-based gangways that provide six degrees of freedom of motion compensation, enabling safe 'Walk to Work' transfer of personnel and cargo between vessels and fixed or floating offshore structures in sea states up to 4.5m Hs. Ampelmann operates a modular product portfolio spanning six system families — the A-type flagship, E1000, E5000, L-type, S-type and W-type — each tailored to specific vessel classes, sea states and use cases across both offshore oil & gas and offshore wind, with a stated goal of electrifying the entire fleet and a 90% energy reduction target. Production is based at the Onderzeebootloods (OZB) facility in Rotterdam, and the company invests in adjacent innovation including the first certified composite gangway component (developed with Airborne, Pontis and Lloyd's Register) and embedded fiber-optic Structural Health Monitoring.

Ampelmann commercializes through direct enterprise field sales to vessel owners, shipbuilders and offshore energy operators, under three revenue streams: long-term system rentals bundled with operators, training, OCC support and the Ampelmann Insights digital platform; outright system sales (a model the company describes as 'transitioning into a selling company,' notably via W-type sales into Ulstein CSOV newbuilds); and managed services including the 24/7 Operations Control Centre (half of which is in Brunei), W2W Academy operator training using in-house VR environments and AR-enabled remote support, workability forecasting and cargo drone services. Customers include major offshore energy operators and vessel owners such as Brunei Shell Petroleum, Petrobras (via OceanXpress and Solstad Offshore), Vestas Taiwan, Equinor (Hywind Tampen), Seaway7, Volstad Maritime, Olympic Group, Ulstein Verft and Otto Candies, alongside US offshore wind projects including Vineyard Wind, Southfork, Revolution and Sunrise.

The company is privately held, founder-led (Jan van der Tempel as CEO), and operates across approximately nine regional offices spanning the Netherlands, UK, Germany, Qatar, Singapore, Brunei, Taiwan, Brazil and the USA, with a deployed fleet of ~65 systems worldwide and over 10 million cumulative personnel transfers. Strategic positioning centers on offshore wind and floating wind growth markets, with recent moves including the OceanXpress joint venture with Damen Shipyards (2022), the W-type product launch and CSOV integration (2022-2024), a Boston office opening in support of six new US offshore wind contracts (2023) and a Taiwan office opening (mid-2023).

Name

Ampelmann

Legal name

Ampelmann Operations B.V.

Website

https://ampelmann.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Ampelmann designs, manufactures, leases and services hexapod-based motion compensated gangway systems that enable safe Walk to Work personnel and cargo transfer to offshore oil & gas platforms and wind turbines, serving vessel owners, shipbuilders and energy operators worldwide from nine offices with a fleet of ~65 systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Offshore access systems

NAICS

Commercial Air, Rail, and Water Transportation Equipment Rental and Leasing (532411), Overhead Traveling Crane, Hoist, and Monorail System Manufacturing (333923)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350), Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment (3533)

akta.pro primary industry

Dolly, Converter Gear & Auxiliary Trailer Equipment Leasing/Rental (TLABACAI)

Keywords

• Motion compensated gangways
• Offshore walk to work
• Offshore access systems
• Offshore personnel transfer
• Offshore wind support

Headquarters

HQ city

Delft

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. System Rental: Ampelmann maintains a large rental fleet of motion compensated gangway systems. Systems are rented to vessel owners and operators with bundled service packages including operators, training, OCC support, and Ampelmann Insights.
2. System Sales: Ampelmann sells its gangway systems (e.g., W-type, E-type) to shipbuilders and vessel owners. The company describes itself as 'transitioning into a selling company.' Systems sold with full after-sale service packages including operator training, redundancy packages, logistical assistance, and 24/7 OCC support.
3. Service & Support Packages: Full service packages accompanying both rental and sale include: 24/7 Operations Control Centre (OCC) support, operator training (internal and client operators), Ampelmann Insights data platform, workability forecasts, project management tools, redundancy packages, and logistical assistance.
4. Cargo Drone Services: Ampelmann offers cargo drone services for offshore cargo delivery as an additional service offering alongside traditional gangway-based access.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ampelmann designs, manufactures, sells and rents motion-compensated offshore gangway systems that enable safe Walk to Work transfer of personnel and cargo between vessels and offshore structures (oil & gas platforms and wind turbines). Its hexapod-based systems provide six-degree-of-freedom motion compensation and are offered for sale or rental under long-term enterprise contracts bundled with 24/7 Operations Control Centre support, operator training (including VR), the Ampelmann Insights workability platform, and adjacent services such as cargo drone delivery.

Product overview

Ampelmann is a global leader in Walk to Work (W2W) solutions, providing motion compensated offshore access systems and services. The company operates a portfolio of modular, energy-efficient gangway systems including the A-type (flagship), E1000 (multifunctional with 1,000kg cargo capacity), E5000 (heavy cargo up to 4.6mT), L-type (compact for smaller vessels), S-type (lightweight crew change), and W-type (height-adjustable SOV/CSOV system). These systems are complemented by services including Operations Control Centre (OCC) for 24/7 support, W2W Academy for operator training (including VR simulations), Ampelmann Insights digital platform for workability forecasting, and Cargo Drone Services. The company also has a joint venture OceanXpress with Damen for crew change solutions. All systems feature motion compensation in six degrees of freedom and the company is transitioning to fully electric fleet.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• A-type Gangway System Flagship motion compensated gangway system delivering safe personnel transfer in six degrees of freedom for offshore oil & gas and wind operations. Built on hexapod technology, it is the foundational Ampelmann system for Walk to Work campaigns.
• E1000 Gangway System Motion compensated system for transferring people and cargo up to 1,000kg in rough sea conditions up to 4.5m Hs, combining gangway and crane capabilities in one unit with under-one-minute mode switching.
• S-type Gangway System Energy-efficient motion compensated gangway for crew change operations, designed for lightweight vessels with a low 50kW power requirement and capable of moving 50 people in 5 minutes. Lloyd's certified.
• L-type Gangway System Compact motion compensated gangway for transferring personnel from small non-DP vessels onto fixed or floating structures in sea states up to 2m Hs, fully electric with a 22kW power requirement and 50-person-under-five-minutes throughput. DNV approved.
• E5000 Gangway System Full motion compensated system that safely transfers passengers and heavy cargo loads up to 4.6 tonnes in very rough sea states, extending weather windows for construction and O&M campaigns.
• W-type Tower Gangway System Height-adjustable electric offshore access system for the SOV/CSOV market, reaching up to 30m, with 2,000kg cargo capacity and a separate crane mode lifting up to 2 tonnes, plus remote-controlled trolleys transporting up to 400kg of cargo. DNV approved.
• A300 Gangway System Motion compensated system combining A-type and E1000 technology, transferring people and cargo up to 300kg in sea states up to 3m Hs, with 30-second mode switching between crane and gangway. Lloyd's certified.
• Operations Control Centre (OCC) 24/7 real-time operational support providing workability forecasts, project management tools and remote assistance to clients running Ampelmann systems offshore, with augmented-reality goggles enabling live remote intervention.
• W2W Academy Operator training programme for Ampelmann systems, including immersive virtual-reality training simulations, classroom instruction and hands-on offshore training to certify internal and client operators.
• Ampelmann Insights Digital Platform Digital platform bundled with every Ampelmann system providing workability forecasts, project management tools and operational performance insights for offshore projects.
• Cargo Drone Services Offshore cargo drone service providing aerial delivery of cargo alongside traditional gangway-based access for offshore installations and wind farms.
• OceanXpress Crew Change Service Joint venture service between Damen Shipyards and Ampelmann providing fully integrated offshore crew change solutions combining Damen's FCS 7011 'Aqua Helix' fast crew supplier vessel with Ampelmann's S-type motion compensated gangway in the North Sea and Brazil.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10 million personnel transfers completed globally with zero fatalities reported across all operations
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Damen Shipyards GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDamen Shipyards Group and Ampelmann established the joint venture OceanXpress (established 11 April 2022) to provide offshore crew change solutions in the North Sea area. The JV combines Damen's Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 7011 'Aqua Helix' vessel with Ampelmann's S-type motion compensated gangway system. Damen and Ampelmann provide full logistical support to operations. The vessel and gangway have successfully passed offshore commissioning.
• Wagenborg OffshorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExperienced crew from Wagenborg Offshore navigate the OceanXpress vessel 'Aqua Helix' along offshore platforms. Wagenborg provides the operational crew for the crew change solution while Ampelmann provides the motion compensated gangway system.
• AirbornecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner in the development of Ampelmann's Composite Slideway, the first certified composite gangway component in the offshore industry. Airborne contributed expertise in composite materials engineering.
• Pontis EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner in the development of Ampelmann's Composite Slideway. Pontis contributed to the design engineering of the composite component.
• Lloyd's RegistercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLloyd's Register certified the Composite Slideway, the first certified composite gangway in the offshore industry. LR defined safety factors, failure mechanisms, material properties, inspection points, and required tests to qualify the production process.
• Somni SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for the implementation of fibre optic Structural Health Monitoring in Ampelmann's composite components. Fibre optics are embedded in the composite material to track the state of the structure during its lifetime.
• Ulstein VerftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorwegian shipbuilding company that builds CSOVs for Olympic Group. Ampelmann W-type systems are designed, built, and integrated into Ulstein SX222 CSOVs. W-types sold to Ulstein/ Olympic Group. First W-type delivered for installation on Olympic Boreas CSOV.
• Olympic GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNorwegian offshore wind vessel supplier that ordered CSOVs from Ulstein Verft integrated with Ampelmann W-type systems. Purchased two W-types (with total of five sold in four months). Olympic has been working on offshore renewables projects for approximately ten years.
• Seaway7coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor offshore wind contractor. Ampelmann signed a major contract with Seaway7 to supply an E5000 gangway to support construction of a major US coast offshore wind project.
• Volstad Maritime AScoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNorwegian vessel owner. Ampelmann supplied an E5000 motion compensated gangway to be fitted on OSV Deep Cygnus for cabling and commissioning operations on St. Brieuc windfarm in France. End client was Nexans.
• Otto Candies / Paul CandiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMarine transportation and towing company. Ampelmann supplied an E1000 system to be fitted onto the IMR vessel Paul Candies to support construction of Southfork, Revolution, and Sunrise wind farms in the US offshore wind market.
• Compagnie Maritime Monegasque (CMM)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMarket leader in Fast Offshore Support vessels. Partner in OceanXpress JV providing offshore crew change solutions to Petrobras. CMM operates Damen Sea Axe vessels in Brazil. Vessel arrived in Brazil on 26 January 2023.
• Vestas TaiwancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEnd client for two E1000 systems operating on multipurpose support vessels in Taiwan, providing accommodation and Walk to Work services for Vestas Taiwan's offshore wind projects.
• P&O (DP World)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShipping company. Contract signed with P&O to supply an L-type gangway to a major offshore industry player in Abu Dhabi for installation and operation.
• EquinorcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNorwegian energy company. Ampelmann providing offshore access to floating wind farm Hywind Tampen, the first commercial floating wind farm in Norway, under contract.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Wärtsilä: Finnish large-scale marine systems integrator providing power, propulsion and deck machinery solutions for offshore vessels. Comparable as an incumbent supplier into the same SOV/OSV vessel ecosystem where Ampelmann systems are installed, with overlapping electrification and decarbonisation narratives.
• ABB Marine & Ports: Supplier of electric propulsion, automation and power systems for offshore vessels, including motion-control subsystems used in offshore access equipment. Comparable as an incumbent marine electrification and motion-systems provider whose technology stack overlaps with Ampelmann's electrified gangway portfolio.
• National Oilwell Varco (NOV): Global provider of oil & gas and offshore production equipment, including marine cranes and deck machinery for offshore installations. Comparable as a broad incumbent supplying engineered offshore access and lifting equipment into the same oil & gas and offshore wind end markets.
• Siemens Energy (Offshore / Wind): Major supplier of offshore wind turbines and grid connections, including service vessel solutions used during wind farm construction and O&M. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the offshore wind value chain that interacts with Ampelmann's customer base (developers, EPC contractors, vessel operators).

Direct peers

• MacGregor (Cargotec): Global supplier of offshore and shipboard cargo handling and access solutions, including offshore cranes and gangway systems for SOVs. Directly comparable as an established offshore access equipment vendor serving the same wind farm and oil & gas installation customer base.
• Huisman Equipment: Dutch manufacturer of heavy-duty offshore cranes, winches and motion-compensated equipment for offshore vessels. Directly comparable as an engineered offshore access/lifting equipment supplier serving similar shipbuilders and offshore energy operators.
• Kongsberg Maritime: Norwegian provider of marine automation, dynamic positioning, and motion-control systems, including offshore access and crane control. Comparable because it supplies the underlying motion/control technology that competing gangway systems would rely on, serving offshore vessel operators globally.

Emerging players

• Damen Shipyards Group: Dutch shipbuilder and JV partner in OceanXpress, building the FCS 7011 'Aqua Helix' integrated crew-change vessel. Comparable because the JV bundles a Damen vessel directly with Ampelmann's gangway, and Damen sells competing ship-based access solutions across its global yard network.
• Principle Power: US/European floating wind foundation developer behind the WindFloat platform, currently partnering with Equinor's Hywind Tampen where Ampelmann is providing access. Comparable as an emerging player in the floating wind segment driving new demand for motion-compensated access solutions.

Others

• Van Oord Offshore Wind: Major Dutch marine contractor executing offshore wind farm installation and cable-laying campaigns, a key end customer category for Ampelmann's E5000 and E1000 systems. Comparable as a customer-adjacent participant in the same offshore wind construction ecosystem rather than a direct product competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ampelmann-operations
• Xx.com/Ampelmann_HQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/AmpelmannOperations

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ampelmann