What Breeze Ship Design does

Breeze Ship Design is an independent naval architecture and marine engineering firm founded in October 2020 in Stord, Norway, by former Wärtsilä Ship Design executives Ove Wilhelmsen (CEO) and Tommy Hivand (CCO). The firm operates from offices in Stord and Sandvika (Norway) and Varna (Bulgaria) — the latter established through the January 2023 acquisition of Varshyp Design — employing approximately 60 people as of early 2026. The company provides ship design services across the full vessel lifecycle, from feasibility studies and conceptual design through basic, detailed, and post-delivery consultancy, organized into six segments: offshore energy (120+ designs), merchant (200+), navy and coast guard (70+), fishing and aquaculture (65+), passenger and RoRo (45+), and special vessels (15+). Customers include blue-chip shipowners and operators such as Eidesvik Offshore, Equinor, SEACOR Marine, Capital Offshore, Hercules Supply, Dong Fang Offshore, Aker BP, Misje Rederi, COSL, Crowley, and Boreal.

The company's core technology rests on a proprietary archive of more than 4,000 vessels built worldwide, inherited from legacy design environments including Vik-Sandvik, Wärtsilä Ship Design, Skipskonsulent, Schiffko, and Conan Wu & Associates, combined with in-house expertise in zero-emission propulsion (ammonia, hydrogen, methanol dual-fuel), battery hybrid integration, and CO2 carrier design. Flagship technology programs include the world's first ammonia-powered PSV conversion (Viking Energy / Apollo project with €5 million in EU Horizon Europe funding), a CO2 transport and injection vessel concept for Equinor carrying approximately 40,000 tonnes of CO2, the Z 4423 MPSV (88m, battery hybrid), and the Z 4650 AHTS (78m, 150-ton bollard pull), plus exploratory work on small modular reactor (SMR) integration with Poland's National Centre for Nuclear Research.

Revenue is generated entirely through project-based professional services contracts sold directly to ship owners, operators, and shipyards via C-level engagement. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding rounds or institutional investors; its only subsidiary is the wholly owned Bulgarian engineering hub. Go-to-market relies on direct senior-led enterprise sales, repeat business with established shipyard partners (notably Fujian Mawei, Fujian Southeast Shipbuilding, and Westcon Yards), and visibility through industry consortia including the Green Shipping Program, NCE Marine Cleantech, and the Apollo consortium.

Name

Breeze Ship Design

Legal name

Breeze Ship Design

Website

https://breeze.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Breeze Ship Design is an independent Norwegian naval architecture firm delivering full-lifecycle ship design and marine engineering services across offshore energy, merchant, navy, fishing, and passenger segments. Founded in 2020, the firm leverages a 4,000+ vessel design archive and specializes in zero-emission, ammonia, hydrogen, and hybrid propulsion vessel designs for global shipowners and shipyards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Naval Architecture and Ship Design Services

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

Concept & Feasibility Naval Architecture (Requirements, Trade Studies) (IMAJAGAA), Stability, Weight & Load Analysis (Intact/Damage Stability, Weight Control) (IMAJAGAI), Electrical Engineering & Power Distribution (Generation, Switchboards, Cabling, Lighting) (IMAJAGAF)

Keywords

• Naval architecture services
• Ship design engineering
• Offshore vessel design
• Zero emission shipping
• Marine engineering consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

Leirvik

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ship Design and Engineering Services: Breeze Ship Design generates revenue through professional services contracts for ship design, engineering, and naval architecture. Services are provided across the full vessel lifecycle from concept to commissioning, including feasibility studies, conceptual design, initial design, basic design, detailed design, and post-delivery consultancy. The company also earns revenue from strategic asset evolution services including decarbonisation retrofits, capacity upgrades, modifications, and conversions. Revenue is project-based, typically through direct contracts with ship owners or shipyards.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Breeze Ship Design is an independent ship design firm delivering full-lifecycle naval architecture and marine engineering services — from feasibility studies and concept design through basic, detailed, and production design, plus post-delivery consultancy and retrofit work. Its portfolio spans offshore energy (120+ designs), merchant shipping (200+), navy and coast guard (70+), fishing and aquaculture (65+), passenger/RoRo (45+), and special vessels (15+), with flagship capabilities in zero-emission propulsion (ammonia, hydrogen, methanol), battery hybrid systems, and CO2 carrier and offshore injection concepts.

Product overview

Breeze Ship Design is an independent ship design company offering comprehensive naval architecture and marine engineering services from concept to commissioning. The company operates a portfolio of specialized vessel design lines including Offshore Energy (120+ designs), Merchant (200+), Navy & Coast Guard (70+), Fishing & Aquaculture (65+), Passenger & RoRo (45+), and Special vessels (15+). Key product lines include the Z 4650 AHTS for anchor handling operations, Z 4423 MPSV for multipurpose offshore support with battery hybrid propulsion, and advanced CO2 carrier designs for carbon capture and storage. The company leverages a heritage design archive of 4,000+ vessels and provides lifecycle engineering services including decarbonisation retrofits and alternative fuel integrations. Through subsidiaries in Norway and Bulgaria, Breeze offers both newbuild design and strategic asset evolution services for vessels in operation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Offshore Energy Vessel Designs Purpose-built vessel design portfolio for the offshore energy sector, including platform supply vessels (PSV), anchor handling tug supply (AHTS), multipurpose offshore supply vessels (MPSV), and subsea/cable laying vessels. Designs include DP2 capability, battery hybrid propulsion, and alternative fuel readiness, targeting offshore oil & gas, offshore wind, and marine energy operators.
• Merchant Vessel Designs Fuel-efficient and environmentally compliant designs for commercial shipping — bulk carriers, product tankers, container ships, chemical tankers, and LNG carriers — for both deep-sea and coastal trade. 200+ designs across this segment.
• Navy & Coast Guard Vessel Designs Mission-capable vessel designs for naval and coast guard operations including frigates, patrol vessels, and naval support ships. 70+ designs in this segment, focused on operability, mission flexibility, and crew safety.
• Fishing & Aquaculture Vessel Designs Designs for commercial fishing and aquaculture operators, including pelagic trawlers, fish carriers, fish factory vessels, aquaculture support vessels, and RSW (Refrigerated Sea Water) vessels. 65+ designs in this segment.
• Passenger & RoRo Vessel Designs Designs for passenger ferries, Ro-Ro passenger vessels, and crew transfer vessels. 45+ designs in this segment, focused on passenger safety, vehicle loading efficiency, and environmental compliance.
• Specialized Vessel Designs Designs for highly specialized vessel types including fish factory ships, pipelaying vessels, and custom offshore support vessels requiring extraordinary expertise and custom engineering. 15+ designs in this segment.
• Z 4650 AHTS Design 78-metre Anchor Handling Tug Supply vessel design with 150-ton bollard pull, DP2 capability, medium-speed diesel engines with PTO/PTI functionality, controllable pitch propellers, and side thrusters. Features 3,000-dwt capacity, 500 sqm work deck, and accommodation for 50 personnel.
• Z 4423 MPSV Design 88-metre Multipurpose Offshore Supply Vessel (MPSV) design with battery hybrid propulsion, 1000 sqm work deck, moonpool, subsea crane, and helideck. Accommodation for 60 people. Designed for flexible operations in offshore and energy segments. The design has been licensed for serial production with multiple vessels contracted at Fujian Mawei.
• CO2 Carrier Design for Direct Offshore Injection Ship design concept for a CO2 carrier for direct offshore injection, with cargo capacity of approximately 40,000 tonnes of CO2. Propulsion is based on ammonia dual fuel with thrusters and propeller configuration optimized for harsh weather conditions. The vessel connects to an offshore STL buoy for continuous CO2 injection to subsea wells, developed in collaboration with Equinor.
• Ammonia-Powered Oil Tanker Design Pilot design for an ammonia-powered Aframax oil tanker of 110K DWT, developed in collaboration with Equinor, DNV, Yara, Grieg, and Altera Infrastructure under the Green Shipping Program. Breeze Ship Design is responsible for ship integration of ammonia fuel, bunkering systems, and machinery/propulsion.
• Subsea and Cable Laying Vessel (CLV) Design Complete design and engineering package for a 130-metre Subsea and Cable Laying Vessel (CLV) with 250-ton NOV crane, 4,000-ton below-deck cable carousel, and accommodation for 130 persons. The largest contract in Breeze Ship Design's history, with delivery Q1 2027 from Westcon Yards to Dong Fang Offshore.
• Lifecycle Engineering Services Comprehensive engineering services spanning feasibility studies, conceptual design, initial design, basic design, and detailed design phases, plus post-delivery support including upgrades, modifications, conversions, equipment integration, and technical consultancy for vessels throughout their operational life.
• Decarbonisation & Retrofit Services Specialist services for integrating hybrid systems, clean alternative fuels, and upgrading propulsion and machinery systems on existing vessels to improve efficiency and reduce emissions, including hybrid battery conversion projects for offshore supply vessels operating on long-term energy company contracts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70%+ GHG emissions reduction for Viking Energy PSV converted to ammonia power
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, emerging and supporting.

• Westcon Yards AScoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 19 January 2026Breeze Ship Design signed an agreement with Westcon Yards AS to deliver the complete design and engineering package for a Subsea and Cable Laying Vessel (CLV) to be delivered to Dong Fang Offshore in Q1 2027. This is described as the largest contract in Breeze Ship Design's history. Westcon Yards serves as the shipyard for this project.
• National Centre for Nuclear Research (Poland)emergingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 June 2025Breeze Ship Design announced an agreement with Poland's National Centre for Nuclear Research to explore ship-reactor integration and floating nuclear power platforms for vessels requiring significant operational autonomy. This is part of a five-year plan to investigate SMR (small modular reactor) technology integration into offshore vessels.
• Nuclear Energy Maritime OrganizationemergingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 June 2025Breeze Ship Design joined the Nuclear Energy Maritime Organization to explore ship-reactor integration and floating nuclear power platforms for vessels requiring significant operational autonomy, targeting high-temperature gas-cooled reactors in the 25-MWe range.
• Eidesvik OffshorecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 August 2024Eidesvik Offshore and Breeze Ship Design are collaborating on the Apollo project to convert Viking Energy into the world's first ammonia-powered PSV. The project is funded with €5 million in EU support through Horizon Europe. Breeze provides ship design services while Eidesvik provides the vessel and operational environment. Upon completion, the vessel will operate under contract with Equinor.
• WärtsiläcoreTechnology or Integration · 30 August 2024Wärtsilä is the engine and fuel gas supply system provider for the Apollo project (Viking Energy ammonia conversion). Wärtsilä is supplying the Wärtsilä 25 dual-fuel engine and complete ammonia fuel gas supply system. Breeze Ship Design provides the ship integration design services.
• Varshyp Design (now Breeze Ship Design Bulgaria OOD)coreTechnology or Integration · 8 March 2023Breeze Ship Design acquired Varshyp Design Ltd in Varna, Bulgaria. The engineering company has in-house first-class skills in all fields required for ship design, marine engineering, and marine consultancy. The acquisition expanded Breeze Ship Design's engineering capacity and created a solid engineering hub in Varna with 20 employees. The deal closed in January 2023 after a nine-month process.
• Green Shipping ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBreeze Ship Design participates in the Green Shipping Program, a collaborative industry initiative focused on accelerating the transition to low-emission shipping. As part of this program, the company is engaged in a pilot project for an ammonia-powered Aframax oil tanker (110K DWT) together with Equinor, DNV, Yara, Grieg, and Altera Infrastructure.
• NCE Marine CleantechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBreeze Ship Design is a member of NCE Marine Cleantech, a Norwegian cluster organization for developing clean maritime solutions. The partnership connects the company with industry collaborators focused on pioneering environmental technologies in shipping.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of FinlandsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Apollo project consortium, VTT simulates different vessel types and operating scenarios to illustrate the ability to transfer ammonia propulsion technology to other segments of the shipping industry.
• DEME Group NVsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Apollo project consortium. Belgian marine contractor and shipowner contributing to simulating vessel types and operating scenarios for technology transfer across shipping segments.
• National Centre of Scientific Research DemokritossupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Apollo project consortium. Greece's largest multidisciplinary research center is responsible for assessing safety criteria for ammonia fuel integration in marine vessels.
• Maritime CleanTechsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Apollo project consortium. Maritime CleanTech is a Norwegian world-leading network for developing clean maritime solutions, supporting the project as an industry accelerator.
• EquinorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEquinor and Breeze Ship Design are collaborating on multiple projects: (1) development of a CO2 carrier concept for direct offshore injection (approximately 40,000 tonnes CO2 capacity, ammonia dual fuel propulsion), and (2) the ammonia-powered Aframax tanker pilot project through the Green Shipping Program. Equinor is both a technology development partner and a vessel charterer.
• Eidesvik Offshore (Ammonia Fuel Cell)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBreeze Ship Design is supporting the redesign of Eidesvik's offshore supply vessel Viking Energy to run on an ammonia fuel cell system. This project positions the vessel as the world's first ammonia-powered PSV. Breeze provides ship integration design services for the ammonia fuel cell system.
• Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding LtdcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFujian Mawei is the shipyard partner for multiple MPSV design contracts (Z 4423). The company has built multiple vessels using Breeze Ship Design's designs and has an established working relationship. Vessels for SEACOR Marine, Capital Offshore, and Hercules Supply have been or are being built at this yard.
• Fujian Southeast ShipbuildingcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFujian Southeast Shipbuilding awarded Breeze Ship Design a contract for the design of a 150-ton bollard pull AHTS (Anchor Handling Tug Offshore Support Vessel) based on the Z 4650 blueprint, developed for an undisclosed owner.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Vard (Fincantieri): Vard, a Fincantieri subsidiary, is one of the largest global shipbuilders and ship design houses with deep offshore vessel capabilities. It competes with Breeze on integrated design-and-build programs where its scale and yard ownership give it an advantage.
• DNV: DNV is a classification society and maritime advisory powerhouse that increasingly offers ship design and decarbonisation advisory services. It is a broad incumbent that competes for technical consultancy and zero-emission advisory work overlapping with Breeze's lifecycle services.
• Kongsberg Maritime: Kongsberg Maritime supplies integrated ship systems, automation, and design services. While broader than a pure design house, it competes for hybrid and digital ship design mandates and is a deep-pocketed incumbent adjacent to Breeze's offering.
• ABB Marine & Ports: ABB Marine & Ports provides electric, hybrid, and propulsion systems for vessels. While not a full ship design house, it competes for hybrid-electric and zero-emission propulsion integration work that overlaps with Breeze's battery hybrid and alternative fuel design capabilities.

Direct peers

• Knud E. Hansen: Knud E. Hansen is a Danish independent ship design house with capabilities across offshore, naval, and merchant segments. It competes for similar custom vessel design contracts and brings comparable cross-segment expertise.
• Skipsteknisk: Skipsteknisk is a Norwegian naval architecture firm with a long heritage in offshore and specialized vessel design. It directly competes for advanced vessel design contracts and shares Breeze's focus on offshore energy and complex vessel types.
• Ulstein Design & Solutions: Ulstein is a Norwegian ship design and shipbuilding group with strong offshore vessel design capabilities. It competes head-to-head with Breeze in offshore energy designs (PSV, AHTS, MPSV, wind vessels) and shares the Norwegian design heritage that Breeze taps into.
• Wärtsilä Ship Design: Wärtsilä Ship Design is the founders' former employer and a direct competitor in independent ship design services. It offers naval architecture, basic and detailed design, and lifecycle services across offshore, merchant, and navy segments — closely mirroring Breeze's portfolio.
• Salt Ship Design: Salt Ship Design is a Norwegian independent ship design firm with similar scope in offshore, fishing, and merchant vessel designs. It is a direct competitor for greenfield and retrofit vessel design contracts, particularly in the Norwegian offshore market.
• HAV Design: HAV Design is a Norwegian ship design firm specializing in advanced offshore vessels, particularly for the aquaculture and offshore energy segments. It is a direct competitor in newbuild and conversion design services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/breeze-ship-design

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Breeze Ship Design