Napier AS

What Napier AS does

Napier AS is a Norwegian private company founded in 1995 and headquartered in Bømlo, Norway, that operates a specialized fleet of harvest vessels serving the salmon aquaculture industry. The company's core offering is fully automated stun and bleed (S&B) processing performed directly at the fish farm cage edge, followed by biosecure refrigerated seawater (RSW) transport to shore-based slaughterhouses — a concept Napier pioneered in 2008 when its vessel Tauranga was converted in collaboration with Mowi. Today Napier operates six vessels (Tauranga, Taupo, Taupiri, Taumar, Tauroa, Tautiki), with a seventh, Tauriko (~85m), on order; the Tauroa and Tautiki are 70m platforms with 200 tonnes/hour loading and 750 tonne RSW capacity, currently the world's largest dedicated S&B harvest vessels.

The company's technology stack is built around proprietary onboard systems developed over more than 15 years of operational data, including a CIP washing system that reduces cleaning time by 75%, continuous bacteria removal during RSW recirculation, gentle fish agitation methods, sliding bulkhead technology, automated S&B factories, and automated shore unloading. Napier monetizes this asset base exclusively through long-term charter contracts with large Norwegian salmon farmers, most prominently Mowi — the world's largest salmon farmer — under multi-year agreements that provide recurring, contracted revenue. All vessels are purpose-built or fitted in partnership with European shipyards (Fitjar Mek. Verksted in Norway, Sefine in Turkey, Freire in Spain) and technology providers (Baader, MMC, Optimar), with research collaboration from Sintef and Nofima. CapMan Infra became a financial partner in February 2023, supporting the fleet expansion from approximately 16 employees in 2018 to roughly 100 in 2025.

Napier holds GlobalGAP Chain of Custody, Aquaculture Stewardship Council Chain of Custody, and Debio organic certifications, supporting customer requirements on fish welfare, traceability, and environmental compliance. The company operates exclusively within Norway today, spanning the coastline from Agder in the south to Bodø in the north, and pursues continued fleet expansion as its primary growth lever rather than geographic or vertical diversification.

Name

Napier AS

Legal name

Napier AS

Website

https://napier.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Napier AS is a Norwegian private company that operates a fleet of specialized salmon harvest vessels performing automated stun, bleed, and refrigerated transport directly at fish farm cages under long-term charter contracts with Norwegian salmon farmers, primarily Mowi.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aquaculture vessel services

NAICS

Aquaculture (11251), Other Aquaculture (112519), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (31171)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Aquaculture & Fish-Farm Service Vessels (Feed, Wellboats, Harvest Support) (IMAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aquaculture Farm Services & Operations Support (net cleaning, diving, grading, harvesting) (AFAEAAAM), Aquaculture Health, Biosecurity & Veterinary Services (AFAEAAAK)

Keywords

• Salmon harvest vessels
• Live fish transport
• Fish welfare services
• Aquaculture logistics
• Harvest vessel charter

Headquarters

HQ city

Bømlo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Long-term Charter Contracts: Napier operates its fleet of harvest vessels under long-term charter contracts with Norwegian fish farmers. All four existing vessels operate on long-term contracts for Norwegian fish farmers. The company secures multi-year agreements that provide predictable revenue streams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Napier AS operates the world's largest fleet of dedicated salmon harvest vessels. Its vessels stun and bleed fish directly at the cage edge via automated systems, then transport the fish in refrigerated seawater tanks under recirculation with bacteria removal to shore-based processors. Service is delivered to Norwegian salmon farmers through long-term charter agreements that bundle harvesting, live transport, and biosecure handling into a single contracted offering.

Product overview

Napier AS operates a fleet of specialized harvest vessels (prosessfartøy) that stun and bleed salmon directly at fish farm pens, then transport processed fish to shore slaughterhouses. The fleet consists of seven vessels: Tauranga (converted 2008, Europe's first harvest vessel, 300t), Taupo and Taupiri (both 2019, 320t each), Taumar (2020, 160t, smallest), Tauroa (2025, 750t, world's largest), Tautiki (2026, 750t), and Tauriko (on order, ~85m, 750t). All vessels use fully automated stun and bleed processes with refrigerated seawater (RSW) tanks at 0.5°C, serving Norwegian salmon farmers including Mowi on long-term contracts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Salmon harvest vessel charter services End-to-end contracted salmon harvesting service delivered by a fleet of seven specialized harvest vessels (Tauranga, Taupo, Taupiri, Taumar, Tauroa, Tautiki, and Tauriko), combining automated cage-edge stun and bleed of fish with refrigerated seawater live transport to shore-based processors, sold to Norwegian salmon farming companies through long-term charter agreements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5.3 tonnes of salmon transported per liter of diesel consumed
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

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

• MowiflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership since 2008. Mowi is Napier's primary customer with multiple vessels operating on long-term contracts. Tauranga has operated for Mowi since 2009 delivering more salmon than any other harvest vessel. New contract for two vessels at Mowi's Jøsnøya factory.
• Salt Ship DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign partnership for vessel development. Salt Ship Design collaborated on the Tauroa, Tautiki, and Tauriko vessel designs. Developed world's largest harvest vessels with 70m and 85m lengths.
• Sefine ShipyardcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerTurkish shipyard contracted to build Tauroa (delivered 2025) and Tautiki (under construction). Both 70-meter vessels designed for harvest operations.
• Freire ShipyardcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerFamily-owned Spanish shipyard in Vigo with roots dating back to the 1800s. Contracted to build Tauriko (nearly 85m), the next generation harvest vessel with increased speed up to 17-18 knots.
• Fitjar Mek. Verksted (FMV)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerNorwegian shipyard partnership since 2017. Built Taupo and Taupiri (delivered 2019), both 43m vessels operating on long-term Mowi contracts.
• MMCcoreTechnology or IntegrationFish handling technology partner providing equipment for the automated stunning and bleeding processes on Napier's vessels.
• BaadercoreTechnology or IntegrationFish processing technology partner providing S&B (stun and bleed) machines. Equipped all vessels with Baader technology including 12 S&B machines on Tauranga and 16 on Taupiri.
• SintefminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership for development of stunning, washing, and cleaning systems on board. Collaborated on improving fish welfare and biosecurity.
• NofimaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration through pilot projects to develop and refine the harvest vessel concept and processing techniques.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sølvtrans ASA: Norway's largest wellboat operator, providing live-fish transport vessels to Norwegian and international salmon farmers. Directly comparable to Napier as a Norwegian aquaculture vessel operator serving the same salmon farming customers, though Sølvtrans focuses on live transport rather than stun-and-bleed harvesting.
• Rostein AS: Norwegian wellboat company operating a fleet of specialized aquaculture service vessels along the Norwegian coast. Closely comparable to Napier in operating model (specialized vessels serving salmon farmers) and geography, though with a heavier weighting toward live-fish transport than onboard processing.
• Aquaship ASA: Norwegian wellboat operator serving the salmon aquaculture industry with a fleet of specialized vessels. Directly comparable to Napier as a Norwegian aquaculture vessel operator serving salmon farmers, with overlapping customer base and operational geography.
• Frøy ASA: Norwegian shipping group with a dedicated aquaculture services division operating service vessels for the salmon farming industry. Comparable to Napier through shared focus on aquaculture vessel services and overlapping customer base among Norwegian salmon farmers.

Others

• Eidesvik AS: Norwegian family-owned shipping company historically focused on offshore service vessels, founded and still controlled by the Eidesvik family. Related to Napier through family ownership ties, but operates in offshore energy rather than aquaculture, making it an adjacent shipping peer rather than a direct competitor.
• Mowi ASA: World's largest Atlantic salmon farming company and Napier's primary customer since 2008. Comparable as the dominant counterparty in the Norwegian salmon value chain that drives Napier's demand, but is a customer/salmon farmer rather than a vessel operator competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/OnsiteHarvesting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/napier-as

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Napier AS