What Skipsteknisk does

Skipsteknisk AS is an independent Norwegian ship design firm founded in 1976, headquartered in Aalesund within Norway's designated Global Centre of Expertise – Maritime cluster. The company specializes in the design of highly advanced, purpose-built vessels for fishing, offshore service, research, renewable energy, aquaculture, and navy/patrol segments. Its proprietary ST-design portfolio spans more than 30 vessel families including cable-laying vessels (ST-297 CLV), offshore construction vessels (ST-245 OCV), oceanographic and fishery research vessels (ST-344/345/368/369), stern trawlers and longliners (ST-116/125/136/158), service operation vessels for offshore wind (ST-415 SOV/CSOV), and submarine rescue vessels (ST-632). The firm operates a wholly-owned electrical services subsidiary (Skan-El AS) in Aalesund and a wholly-owned engineering subsidiary (Skipsteknisk Engineering AŞ, ~30 staff) in Istanbul, Turkey, with sales coverage extending into China.

The underlying technology is advanced 3D ship design, visualization, performance simulation, and verification using modern CAD/CAE toolchains, with deep domain specialization across hull form, hydrodynamics, structural, machinery, and electrical engineering disciplines. Vessels emphasize the most suitable equipment selection, best possible operational performance, lowest possible emissions (including LNG, biogas, biofuel, hybrid, and green methanol propulsion variants), and highest levels of class-certification safety — including specialized capabilities such as DNV Silent A noise reduction for research vessels and DP3 dynamic positioning for offshore vessels.

Skipsteknisk generates revenue through B2B professional services engagements with ship owners, shipyards, and research/government institutes worldwide. The revenue model combines (1) ship design and consultancy fees for project-based engagements covering the full newbuilding lifecycle — general consultancy, design development, concept studies, tender documentation, basic/class design, detailed design, and building supervision — and (2) licensing of proprietary ST-designs to qualified shipyards globally. Pricing is project-based on multi-year engagements, with no public pricing; contract values vary substantially by vessel type, size, and scope. The firm markets itself as independent of any shipyard or equipment supplier, enabling design neutrality, and maintains ISO 9001 certification under DNV. Customers span enterprise fishing operators (Sørheim Holding, Fjordlaks AS, Royal Greenland, REM Offshore, Søøyheim-acknowledged repeat fish owners), offshore energy majors (Nexans), and government research/defense agencies (Italian Navy, Peruvian Navy, NERC UK, NORAD, IMR Norway).

Name

Skipsteknisk

Legal name

Skipsteknisk AS

Website

https://skipsteknisk.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Skipsteknisk is an independent Norwegian ship design firm founded in 1976, headquartered in Aalesund. It designs specialized vessels — fishing, offshore, research, navy, aquaculture and offshore wind — for shipowners, shipyards, and government research institutes worldwide, using proprietary ST-designs delivered through project-based consultancy and design licensing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ship Design Services

NAICS

Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

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

Fishing Vessels (Trawlers, Longliners, Purse Seiners) (IMAJADAE), Government & Municipal Service Craft (Research, Survey, Inspection, Buoy Tenders) (IMAJADAL)

Keywords

• Ship design services
• Vessel design consultancy
• Marine engineering design
• Offshore vessel design
• Fishing vessel design

Headquarters

HQ city

Aalesund

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ship Design and Consultancy Services: Full range of services related to newbuilding processes including general consultancy, design development, concept studies, tender documentation, basic/Class design, detailed design, and building supervision and inspections. Revenue is generated through professional service engagements with shipping companies, research institutes, and maritime operators worldwide.
2. Design Licensing and ST-Design: The company's ST-designs are built at qualified shipyards worldwide. Skipsteknisk licenses their proprietary designs to ship owners and operators, creating recurring relationships across the vessel lifecycle.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Skipsteknisk is an independent Norwegian ship designer providing newbuilding design and consultancy for highly advanced vessels. The firm delivers full-service newbuilding design (concept studies, basic/class design, detailed design, building supervision and inspections) and licenses its proprietary ST-design portfolio to qualified shipyards worldwide. Its designs span fishing vessels, offshore service vessels, research vessels, aquaculture vessels, renewable/wind service vessels, and navy/patrol vessels for ship owners, shipyards, research institutes and government clients globally.

Product overview

Skipsteknisk is an independent Norwegian ship design company founded in 1976, specializing in highly advanced vessel designs. The company operates the ST-design portfolio comprising multiple vessel categories: Fishing vessels (pelagic trawlers ST-125/136, stern trawlers ST-116/117/118/119, longliners ST-155/156/157/158, and crabbers ST-180/184); Offshore vessels (CLV cable layers ST-297, OCV/ST-245, PSV, ROV/construction vessels ST-253L/254L/258L, and tugs ST-933); Research vessels (oceanographic ST-253XR/344/345, fishery-oceanographic ST-336/361/366/367/368, seismic ST-204/321/324/325, and polar ST-344); Renewable vessels (SOV/CSOV ST-415 and cable layers ST-297); Aquaculture vessels (live fish carriers ST-500/550/552/554/555 and stun/bleed vessels ST-571/572); and Navy/Patrol vessels (coastguard ST-610 and submarine rescue ST-632). The company provides comprehensive newbuilding design services from concept through detailed design and building supervision.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ship Design and Consultancy Services Full range of newbuilding design and consultancy services covering concept studies, tender documentation, basic/class design, detailed design, and building supervision for ship owners, shipyards, research institutes and government maritime operators worldwide.
• ST-297 CLV Cable Layer Vessel Proprietary Cable Layer Vessel design with DP3 dynamic positioning, three turntables with 13,500-ton loading capacity, and simultaneous bundle laying capability for up to four cables. Built for offshore cable installation projects including the 155.2m Nexans Electra constructed at Ulstein Verft for Nexans.
• ST-245 OCV Offshore Construction Vessel Offshore Construction Vessel designs including the Energy Support Vessel variant with hybrid propulsion options powered by green methanol. Includes the ST-245 REM Pioneer for REM Offshore and the ST-245 Sea1 as flagship reference designs for offshore construction operations in the Norwegian sector.
• ST-415 SOV/CSOV Service Operation Vessel Service Operation Vessel and Construction Service Operation Vessel designs for the offshore wind industry, including SOV variants (60 POB, 79.4m) and CSOV variants (85 POB, 86m and 120 POB, 86m) for offshore wind farm support and maintenance operations.
• ST-116 / ST-117 / ST-119 Stern and Factory Freezer Trawlers Stern trawler and factory freezer trawler design family for fishing operations, including XL variants for arctic operations, factory freezer trawlers with processing capabilities for fillets, H&G, shrimp, fishmeal and fish oil production, and the Arctic factory trawler ST-119 (250-450 tons/day freezing capacity, 30-150 POB). Reference vessels include ST-116XL Takapō for Tekapo Ltd (New Zealand) and ST-119 Avataq/Nataarnaq for Royal Greenland.
• ST-125 / ST-136 Pelagic Trawler and LNG Pelagic Trawler Pelagic trawler and purse seiner designs including the ST-136 LNG Pelagic Trawler with dual fuel capability using biogas (LNG) and biofuel, featuring 3,500 m³ LNG/biogas tank capacity and battery bank energy storage for low-emission operations. Reference vessel: ST-136 LNG Selvåg Senior for Sørheim Holding AS.
• ST-155 / ST-156 / ST-158 Longliner Family Longliner vessel designs including diesel electric and hybrid-powered variants. The ST-156 XL Hybrid Longliner features PTH/PTI battery propulsion, automated factory and 68,000-hook autoline system. The ST-158 Hybrid Leinebris is a combined longliner and Danish seiner with diesel electric propulsion aft and forward and a centerline moonpool for gear hauling in severe weather, built at Tersan Shipyard.
• ST-180 / ST-184 Crab and Lobster Vessels Lobster harvesting and crab catcher/processor vessel designs including the ST-184 Crab Processor with 40 tons/day freezing capacity and the ST-180 Kluskapeu'lk lobster harvesting vessel for crab catching and processing operations.
• Research Vessel Designs (ST-253XR / ST-344 / ST-345 / ST-366 / ST-367 / ST-368 / ST-369) Research vessel design portfolio covering oceanographic, fishery-oceanographic, seismic and polar research. Includes the ST-253XR OceanXplorer (87.1m, 72 POB plus hospital), ST-344 RRS Discovery (99.7m, UK NERC) and BAP Carrasco (95.3m, Peruvian Navy, DNV Silent A), ST-345 James Cook (89.2m), ST-366 Tom Crean / Jocelynn Bell Burnell (Ireland's Marine Institute), ST-368 G.O. Sars (Norway IMR) and Arcadia (ISPRA Italy), and ST-369 Dr. Fridtjof Nansen (74.5m, 3,853 GT for NORAD/IMR Norway).
• ST-500 / ST-550-555 Live Fish Carriers and ST-571/572 Stun & Bleed Vessels Aquaculture vessel designs including the ST-500 Aspøy live fish carrier (53.8m, 12.8m breadth, built for Fjordlaks AS) and a series of live fish carriers with capacities from 2,000m³ to 5,500m³ for fish farming support. ST-571/572 stun and bleed vessels provide humane fish processing with 450m³ fish hold capacity.
• ST-610 Coastguard Vessels Coastguard vessel design family for coastal patrol, including KV Nornen, KV Njord, KV Heimdal, KV Tor (47.2m, 20 POB plus hospital) and Magnus Lagabøte/Olav Tryggvason (49.6m, 38 POB plus hospital) for Norwegian coastal patrol operations.
• ST-632 Submarine Rescue Vessel Submarine rescue vessel design with 128m length, 24m breadth, 17 knots speed and accommodation for 130 persons. Built for the Italian Navy as a submarine rescue platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Designed many of the World's leading vessels within offshore construction, diving support, platform supply and survey
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ulstein VerftcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNorwegian shipyard that constructs vessels based on Skipsteknisk's ST-designs. Built the Nexans Electra cable-laying vessel at Ulstein's Norwegian shipyard, collaborating with Skipsteknisk during the commissioning phase. The shipyard is a key partner in bringing Skipsteknisk designs to life.
• Tersan ShipyardcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTurkish shipyard that has built numerous vessels based on Skipsteknisk designs including the ST-158 Hybrid Leinebris, ST-136 LNG Selvåg Senior, and many stern trawlers for international owners. A key construction partner for Skipsteknisk designs.
• Ferguson Shipbuilders Ltd.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerScottish shipyard that built the RRS Discovery research vessel (ST-345 James Cook) for NERC United Kingdom. Another construction partner in the Skipsteknisk shipyard network.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Glosten: US-based independent naval architecture firm known for research vessels, ferries, and offshore vessels. Comparable as a specialty ship design consultancy serving government, research, and commercial markets; while smaller in scale and geographically complementary, it operates the same independent ship design business model.
• Foreship: Independent Finnish-Estonian naval architecture and ship design consultancy with strengths in cruise, ferry, and specialized vessels. Comparable as a mid-sized specialty design firm combining Nordic design heritage with an Eastern European engineering subsidiary (similar to Skipsteknisk's Istanbul office) for scalable delivery.
• Knud E. Hansen: Independent Danish naval architecture firm specializing in passenger, ferry, fishing, and specialized commercial vessel designs. Comparable as an independent, non-yard-affiliated ship designer serving global B2B customers with proprietary design methodology — a close functional and structural analog to Skipsteknisk's independent positioning.
• Ulstein Design & Solutions: Norwegian ship design house and shipyard group that delivers specialized vessel designs (e.g., Ulstein CX103, SX130) for offshore, wind, and research segments. Like Skipsteknisk, Ulstein operates from the Norwegian maritime cluster and serves many of the same customers, with similar focus on offshore service and exploration vessel designs.
• Elliott Bay Design Group: North American naval architecture firm focused on commercial, government, and research vessels. Comparable as an independent specialty ship design firm serving fishing, research, and patrol end markets with a similar consulting-led GTM.
• BMT Group (Ship Design): UK-headquartered maritime engineering consultancy with ship design capabilities for naval, commercial, and offshore clients. Comparable at the level of independently scoped ship design services delivered to government and commercial operators, especially in naval and research vessel segments.
• VARD Design (Fincantieri): Italian-controlled (Fincantieri) ship design and shipbuilding group with a strong design office in Norway serving offshore, fishing, and aquaculture segments. Overlaps with Skipsteknisk across offshore construction, fishing, and aquaculture vessel types, with comparable Norwegian footprint and design-to-delivery integration.

Broad incumbents

• Kongsberg Maritime: Major Norwegian maritime technology supplier offering ship design capabilities alongside equipment, automation, and propulsion systems. Broader portfolio and incumbent scale, but overlaps with Skipsteknisk's design services for advanced offshore and research vessels.
• Wärtsilä Marine Design: Finnish marine technology incumbent with ship design, propulsion, and lifecycle service capabilities. Overlaps with Skipsteknisk in vessel concept and propulsion integration, though Wärtsilä operates as a broad equipment-led incumbent rather than a focused independent design house.

Others

• DNV (Ship Classification): Global maritime classification society and certification body. Skipsteknisk is itself DNV-certified (ISO 9001) and operates within DNV-classed vessel programs — relevant as an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a competitor; useful for understanding regulatory standards and project certification dependencies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Skipsteknisk