Knud E. Hansen
Knud E. Hansen A/S is a Danish independent ship design and engineering consultancy founded in 1937, providing new vessel design, refit/conversion engineering, naval architecture, HVAC, and ShipSpace VR visualization to ship owners, shipyards, and government maritime agencies across all maritime segments worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1937
- HeadquartersHelsingør, Denmark
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Knud E. Hansen does
Knud E. Hansen A/S is a privately held Danish ship design and engineering consultancy founded in 1937, headquartered in Helsingør, Denmark, with a Marine HVAC Design office opened in Cadiz, Spain in October 2024. The firm operates as a B2B professional services provider serving ship owners, shipyards, and government maritime agencies worldwide, with a portfolio of more than 800 vessels built to its designs and over 400 conversion projects completed across container, cruise, ferry, RoRo, tanker, offshore, superyacht, and polar vessel segments. Its service offering is organized around two core lines — new vessel design (concept, tender/contract, basic, and detailed engineering) and refit/conversion design — supported by naval architecture, mechanical and marine engineering, HVAC, energy optimization, FEM/CFD-based engineering simulation, project management, and 2D/3D visualization.
The firm generates revenue through professional service fees quoted on a project-by-project basis, with pricing dependent on vessel type, complexity, and scope. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales supplemented by presence at major maritime exhibitions (Nor-Shipping, SMM, Marintec China, Indo Pacific, Ferry Shipping Summit) and earned media in trade publications such as Lloyd's List, Shippax, and Baird Maritime. Its differentiating technology asset is ShipSpace, a proprietary Virtual Reality Design Verification tool that enables cross-continental design collaboration and immersive pre-construction walkthroughs. The customer base spans marquee European RoRo/RoPax operators (Grimaldi, DFDS, Wallenius SOL, Finnlines, Stena Line, Smyril Line), offshore wind developers (Van Oord, Swire Pacific), aquaculture and fishing operators (Bakkafrost), and three national governments (Australia, Canada, Denmark), with the firm holding Lloyd's List Top 10 Technology Leaders 2024 and multiple Shippax and Ferry Shipping Summit awards.
Knud E. Hansen firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Knud E. Hansen
- Legal name
- KNUD E. HANSEN A/S
- Website
- https://knudehansen.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1937
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Knud E. Hansen A/S is a Danish independent ship design and engineering consultancy founded in 1937, providing new vessel design, refit/conversion engineering, naval architecture, HVAC, and ShipSpace VR visualization to ship owners, shipyards, and government maritime agencies across all maritime segments worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Knud E. Hansen industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Ship Design and Marine Engineering Consultancy
- NAICS
- Ship Building and Repairing (336611)
- SIC
- Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Project Management & Owner’s Engineering / Technical Consultancy (Spec Writing, Bid Support, Site Support) (IMAJAGAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Production Design & Detailed Engineering (3D CAD, Drawings, BOM, Nesting) (IMAJAGAK), Marine Systems Engineering (Piping, HVAC, Fuel, Ballast, Firefighting) (IMAJAGAD), Hydrodynamics & Performance Engineering (Resistance, Propulsion, Seakeeping, Maneuvering) (IMAJAGAB), Stability, Weight & Load Analysis (Intact/Damage Stability, Weight Control) (IMAJAGAI), Safety, Risk & Compliance Engineering (SOLAS, Class Rules, HAZID/HAZOP, FMEA) (IMAJAGAJ)
Keywords
Where Knud E. Hansen is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Helsingør
- HQ country
- Denmark
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Knud E. Hansen business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Ship Design and Engineering Services: KNUD E. HANSEN provides comprehensive design and engineering consultancy services for new vessel construction, refits, and conversions. Revenue is generated through professional service fees for concept design, tender/contract design, basic design, and detailed engineering phases, as well as project management, site supervision, and technical support services throughout vessel lifecycles.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels9 records
Knud E. Hansen product offering
Product offeringCore offering
KNUD E. HANSEN provides independent ship design and marine engineering consultancy services covering the full vessel lifecycle — concept design, tender/contract design, basic design, detailed design coordination, refit and conversion engineering, naval architecture, HVAC system design, energy optimization, FEM/CFD simulation, and project management for ship owners, shipyards, governments, and offshore operators across all vessel types.
Product overview
KNUD E. HANSEN is a Danish-based ship design and engineering consultancy offering a comprehensive portfolio of services for the maritime industry since 1937. The company's offerings are organized around two primary service lines: New Vessel Design (covering concept, tender/contract, basic, and detailed design phases) and Refit & Conversion Design (covering conversions, life extensions, and modifications). These core services are supported by specialized capabilities including ShipSpace Virtual Reality technology for immersive design visualization, Marine HVAC Design for climate control systems, Naval Architecture, Design Studio for interior/exterior styling, Energy Management & Optimization, Engineering Simulation & Analysis (FEM, CFD, dynamic analysis), Mechanical & Marine Engineering, Marine Transportation consulting, Project Management, and CO2 Emission Reduction services. The company serves vessel types including container vessels, cruise vessels, ferries, RoRo vessels, tankers, offshore vessels, superyachts, polar vessels, and special purpose vessels.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ShipSpace: World-leading Virtual Reality (VR) technology for ship design and ship building. Allows customers to take virtual tours inside new designs before construction begins. Enables cross-continent collaboration, design verification, and immersive visualization using tools like measurement, x-ray, and paintbrush features.
Products and services
- New Vessel Design Comprehensive design and engineering services for new vessels covering concept design, tender/contract design, basic design, and coordination/integration of detailed design. Includes independent advice on contract negotiations, design specifications review, planning and cost evaluation for ship owners and shipyards across all vessel types.
- Refit & Conversion Design Design and engineering services for vessel refits and conversions, including life extensions, lengthening and heightening, capacity changes, space repurposing, regulatory changes, accommodation refurbishment, and energy saving projects, supported by feasibility studies, design/engineering, production support, and onsite supervision.
- ShipSpace Virtual Reality (VR) Design Verification Tool World-leading Virtual Reality (VR) technology enabling customers to take virtual tours inside new ship designs before construction begins. Allows 3D CAD model export, first-person navigation, x-ray viewing, measurement tools, paintbrush markup, mannequin for space accessibility checks, camera for design issue capture, and videoconferencing for cross-continental collaboration.
- HVAC Marine and Offshore Solutions Design and engineering of HVAC systems for maritime and offshore environments across cargo, cruise, FPSOs, naval, passenger, RoRo, superyacht, and offshore platform vessels, supported by a dedicated Marine HVAC Design office in Cadiz, Spain (opened October 2024).
- Naval Architecture Naval architecture services covering hydrostatics, hydrodynamics, and structural engineering for RoRo and RoPax vessels, special purpose vessels, turbine installation ships, naval vessels, and offshore structures.
- Design Studio (2D & 3D Visualization) Interior and exterior ship design services using various media from pencil-and-paper sketching to computer modeling, rendering, and 3D visualization, producing visual presentations and movies of future vessels sailing or loading in port.
- Energy Management & Optimization Energy optimization services using innovative techniques and state-of-the-art software to evaluate projected energy usage on newbuildings and actual usage on existing vessels, identifying design and operational improvements.
- Engineering Simulation & Analysis Engineering simulation services using advanced Finite Element Method (FEM) structural analysis, multi-body dynamic analysis, and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for ships and offshore structures.
- Mechanical & Marine Engineering Mechanical and marine engineering expertise across machinery, hull, and hotel systems for all ship types, including design, engineering, conversion, optimization, regulatory compliance, and safety services.
- Marine Transportation Consultancy Consultancy studies including feasibility studies, technical and engineering analysis, market analysis, transport and supply chain logistics, and economic investigations to support vessel technology and operational decisions.
- Project Management Comprehensive project management services for new vessel acquisition, build, or refit projects, including project coordination, newbuilding and conversion management, procurement handling, plan approval, inspection, and survey support.
- CO2 Emission Reduction Services Advisory services providing ship owners with a defined pathway to reduce fleet emissions aligned with company goals and net-zero emissions targets by 2050, leveraging KNUD E. HANSEN's know-how, technologies, and assessment of available alternative fuels.
Quantifiable outcome
- More than 800 vessels built to KNUD E. HANSEN designs worldwide
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Knud E. Hansen
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Knud E. Hansen technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Knud E. Hansen partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- Barrier Marine Services (Canada) LtdcorePartnership with Barrier Marine Services to provide turnkey HVAC systems on Canada's Polar Icebreaker (CCGS Arpatuuq). KNUD E. HANSEN provides HVAC engineering expertise while Barrier Marine Services delivers on-site implementation and support services in Canada.
- Australian Maritime CollegesupportingKNUD E. HANSEN presents at Australian Maritime College in Launceston, Tasmania, sharing expertise and knowledge with maritime students and professionals.
- Skansi OffshorecoreClose cooperation with Skansi Offshore in developing a new brine-based firefighting system, announced in June 2025.
- Poseidon Floating PowersupportingCollaboration with Danish clean-tech company Poseidon Floating Power on developing floating power plant concepts, including a 37m prototype deployed in 2008 combining wind turbines and wave energy converters.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Knud E. Hansen competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Knud E. Hansen social profiles
Digital presenceKnud E. Hansen financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Knud E. Hansen leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Knud E. Hansen funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Knud E. Hansen M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Knud E. Hansen
What does Knud E. Hansen do?
KNUD E. HANSEN provides independent ship design and marine engineering consultancy services covering the full vessel lifecycle — concept design, tender/contract design, basic design, detailed design coordination, refit and conversion engineering, naval architecture, HVAC system design, energy optimization, FEM/CFD simulation, and project management for ship owners, shipyards, governments, and offshore operators across all vessel types.
Is Knud E. Hansen a public or private company?
Knud E. Hansen is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Knud E. Hansen founded?
Knud E. Hansen was founded in 1937. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Knud E. Hansen based?
Knud E. Hansen is headquartered in Helsingør, Denmark, in the Europe region.
How does Knud E. Hansen make money?
One revenue line is on record: ship Design and Engineering Services.
Does Knud E. Hansen have an API?
No public API is recorded for Knud E. Hansen.
What industry is Knud E. Hansen in?
Knud E. Hansen's product category is Ship Design and Marine Engineering Consultancy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAJAGAO, Project Management & Owner’s Engineering / Technical Consultancy (Spec Writing, Bid Support, Site Support), with a secondary code of IMAJAGAK, Production Design & Detailed Engineering (3D CAD, Drawings, BOM, Nesting). Its NAICS code is 336611 and its SIC code is 3730.