Autoship

What Autoship does

Autoship Systems Corporation (ASC) is a privately held Vancouver-based software developer founded in 1980 by Grahame Shannon that builds integrated CAD/CAM and load-management software for the commercial marine and naval architecture industries. The portfolio is anchored by two product lines. The first is a design-to-production suite comprising Auto*ship* (NURBS-based hull surface modeling), Auto*hydro* (type-approved hydrostatics and stability), Auto*plate* (plate expansion), Auto*power* (resistance and powering prediction), Model*maker* (vessel model definition), Auto*structure* (3D structural design built on Microsoft SQL Server), and Production Manager (nesting and stock management built on the PowerNest library). The second is the Auto*load* family of type-approved onboard loading instruments and the Stowage Planning System (SPS), with specialized variants for offshore, jack-up, semi-submersible, rig, bulk, tanker, ro-ro, container, break bulk, and heavy-lift operations. Type approvals from DNV and Lloyd's Register, plus outputs accepted by ABS, US Coast Guard and Canadian Coast Guard, position Autoship software as class-ready tooling.

Revenue is generated through perpetual licenses, 1-year and 3-year subscription plans introduced in 2024, annual Maintenance & Support Plans (MSP), training services, and customized shipping-management solutions. Sales occur both directly from the Vancouver head office and through an international dealer network spanning Australia/New Zealand, Japan, Italy/Egypt/West Africa, Spain/Germany, Scandinavia, and the UK/Ireland/Iceland/Poland/France region. The customer base includes the US Navy, US Coast Guard, Newport News Shipbuilding, Teekay, Halliburton, Rolls Royce, Boskalis, Wallenius Wilhelmsen, Edison Chouest Offshore, and more than 1,000 engineering offices worldwide. The company has operated continuously for over four decades and remains under private ownership with no disclosed external funding, with headquarters at Suite 409, 938 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC.

Name

Autoship

Legal name

Autoship Systems Corporation

Website

https://autoship.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Autoship Systems Corporation develops integrated CAD/CAM and type-approved load-management software for naval architects, shipyards, and vessel operators globally, anchored by its Auto*ship*, Auto*hydro*, Auto*load* and Stowage Planning System suites with DNV and Lloyd's Register approvals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Engineering Software

NAICS

Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Ship and Boat Building (3366), Marine Cargo Handling (488320), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730), Miscellaneous Transportation Equipment (3790)

akta.pro primary industry

Production Design & Detailed Engineering (3D CAD, Drawings, BOM, Nesting) (IMAJAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Automation, Controls & Instrumentation Engineering (IAS, PMS, Control Logic) (IMAJAGAG), Safety, Risk & Compliance Engineering (SOLAS, Class Rules, HAZID/HAZOP, FMEA) (IMAJAGAJ)

Keywords

• Marine CAD software
• Naval architecture software
• Vessel stability software
• Ship design software
• Cargo load planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses (Perpetual): Traditional perpetual license model where customers purchase software outright with the option to pay annual MSP (Maintenance and Support Plan) fees for product updates and technical support.
2. Subscription Plans: 1-year and 3-year CAD/CAM subscription plans providing automatic software updates upon release, basic technical support, and no hardware locks to manage. Affordable option for short-term engineering projects.
3. Maintenance & Support Plan (MSP): Annual maintenance and support program including unlimited technical support, software updates, and documentation updates. MSP commences on purchase day and expires at end of calendar year.
4. Training Services: Comprehensive training services provided to help customers become productive quickly. Training can be tailored to include customer projects and is delivered through authorized dealers or head office.
5. Customized Software Solutions: Tailored software solutions for specific customer requirements including shipping management solutions that require customized training and support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Autoship Systems Corporation develops and sells an integrated PC-based CAD/CAM software suite for marine vessel design and construction (Auto*ship*, Auto*hydro*, Auto*plate*, Auto*power*, Auto*structure*, Production Manager, Model*maker*) and a suite of type-approved onboard loading computer and stowage planning software (Auto*load* with specialized modules for bulk, tanker, ro-ro, container, offshore, jack-up, and semi-submersible vessels) for naval architects, shipyards, shipping companies, and offshore operators. The suite allows the same 3D vessel model to flow from hull design through hydrostatic analysis, structural design, plate expansion, and production nesting, with separate real-time stability and cargo management tools installed onboard vessels.

Product overview

Autoship Systems Corporation provides an integrated CAD/CAM software suite for vessel design, construction, and cargo management. The portfolio consists of two main product lines: a CAD/CAM suite for naval architects and shipyards (Autoship, Autohydro, Autoplate, Autopower, Autostructure, Production Manager, Modelmaker) and load management/stability software for vessel operators (Autoload with multiple specialized modules). The CAD/CAM suite is fully integrated, allowing the same 3D model to flow from hull design through hydrostatics analysis, structural design, plate expansion, and nesting/production support. Autoload provides onboard stability monitoring and cargo management for all vessel types including ro-ro, container, bulk, tanker, offshore, semi-submersible rigs, and jack-up vessels. The Stowage Planning System (SPS) integrates with Autoload for comprehensive cargo management at terminals and aboard vessels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Autoship: Hull design and surface modelling software using NURBS mathematics
• Autohydro
• Autopower
• Autoplate
• Autostructure
• Production Manager
• Modelmaker
• Autoload
• Stowage Planning System (SPS)

Products and services

• Auto*ship* Hull design and surface modeling program using NURBS mathematics for creating any hull shape from racing yachts to supertankers, including superstructure and appendages. Used by naval architects and shipyards for hull lines generation, fairing, and surface export via IGES/DXF.
• Auto*hydro*

Quantifiable outcome

• Users indicate they can speed up project completion 3-4x compared to traditional methods
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Shine Engineering LimitedcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 24 July 2024New owner of Autoship Systems UK dealership. Will continue to support existing and future clients in UK, Ireland, Iceland, Poland, and France with CADCAM products and Auto*load* onboard stability software implementation. Led by Damien Shine (Chartered Engineer, Fellow of RINA) and Navanna Shine (Naval Architect).
• 5K SystemscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 30 January 2024Italian simulation company collaborated with Navalia and ASC to deliver over 70 educational licenses of Auto*load* and SPS to 10 Marine Technical Institutions in Italy. Located in Genova, 5K Systems are simulation experts in defense and civil sectors.
• Autoship Systems UKcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 March 2021UK Reseller working in cooperation with Coastdesign Norway AS to supply Boskalis Marine Services with Auto*load* onboard stability software. Now operated by Shine Engineering Limited.
• AMT Marine Software InccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 22 September 2020Project partner for delivery of Auto*load* Stowage Planning System to Liberty Global Logistics. AMT Marine Software worked with ASC to deliver the SPS solution for RO/RO vessels.
• Coastdesign Norway A/ScoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNorwegian dealer of ASC software since company inception. Has developed fast, reliable production and delivery system for Auto*load* to offshore vessels. Equipped more than 100 offshore vessels with Auto*load*. Contact: Frode Myklebust, Oslo, Norway.
• NavaliacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorItalian dealer of ASC for over 30 years covering Italy, Egypt, and West Africa. Stefano Thermes represents Navalia offering marine consulting services in addition to selling and servicing ASC software.
• AutoPLANT (Bentley Systems)coreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party piping design software integrated with Autostructure. Interface ensures coordination between piping system design and structural design during vessel design stage rather than construction stage.
• AutoCAD (Autodesk)coreTechnology or IntegrationAutoCAD is used by Autostructure for editing 2D flat parts and exporting parts, assemblies and cross-sections in 2D and 3D. Also used by Production Manager for nesting drawings export.
• PowerNest (Alma Scop S.A.)coreTechnology or IntegrationProduction Manager nesting algorithms are built on advanced capabilities of the PowerNest library from Alma Scop S.A.
• Microsoft SQL ServercoreTechnology or IntegrationAutostructure is built on top of Microsoft SQL Server database providing ultra-reliable and fast storage and retrieval of vessel data. Supports simultaneous multiple workstation access to projects.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Siemens (NX / Teamcenter for Marine): Siemens provides industrial CAD/NX and PLM (Teamcenter) deployed in marine and shipbuilding contexts. Broad incumbent that overlaps with Autoship's design and structural modules in large enterprise shipyards.
• AVEVA: Global industrial software incumbent offering shipbuilding-focused modules within its wider portfolio (Marine/shipbuilding solutions within AVEVA Marine). Directly comparable as shipyard-facing CAD/CAM, but competes as a broad platform rather than a marine-only specialist like Autoship.
• Dassault Systèmes (CATIA Marine): Dassault's CATIA and 3DEXPERIENCE platform include shipbuilding/marine design modules used by major naval and commercial shipyards. Competes with Autoship's CAD/CAM suite at the high end of naval and complex vessel design where Dassault has strong penetration.
• Wärtsilä SmartShip (Loading Computers): Wärtsilä offers integrated automation and SmartShip solutions where loading computers and stability software (e.g., Umas integration with Auto*load*) are bundled with vessel automation. Broad incumbent competing in the onboard stability/automation segment Autoship addresses with Auto*load*.

Direct peers

• NAPA: NAPA provides naval architecture and ship design software plus onboard loading computer and operational solutions. Closely comparable as an integrated design-and-operations specialist serving shipyards and shipowners, with particular strength in stability and operational efficiency software like Autoship.
• Formation Design Systems (Maxsurf): Maxsurf is a hull form design, hydrostatics, and stability software suite widely used by naval architects and yacht/small-craft designers worldwide. Directly comparable in functionality to Auto*ship* and Auto*hydro*, with strong overlap in the yacht/small commercial and offshore segments.
• GHS (Creative Systems): Creative Systems' GHS is a leading hydrostatics and stability software suite for naval architects. Directly comparable to Auto*hydro* and Auto*load* in the intact and damage stability / loading instrument market, particularly with US Navy and US Coast Guard users.
• FRIENDSHIP-software: FRIENDSHIP-software provides Poseidon and CargoMax for ship hydrostatics, loading computers, and stowage planning. Direct competitor to Auto*hydro*, Auto*load*, and SPS, especially in European shipyards and loading instrument operators.
• Hexagon (ShipConstructor / Smart Marine): Hexagon's Smart Marine portfolio (which includes ShipConstructor and Intergraph SmartMarine 3D) provides CAD/CAM and structural design software for shipbuilders globally, directly competing with Autoship's Auto*ship*, Auto*structure*, and Production Manager modules in shipyards.

Emerging players

• Bentley Systems (Shipbuilding / OpenShips): Bentley's iTwin and Open Infrastructure push into shipbuilding adjacent to its existing AutoPLANT piping integration with Autoship. Comparable as an enabling ecosystem partner rather than a direct stability/load competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/autoship-systems-corporation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Autoship