Selstad
Selstad is a family-owned Norwegian maritime equipment group (founded 1953) that designs, manufactures, and services aquaculture and fisheries equipment — nets, ropes, cages, and trawl gear — for salmon farmers and fishing fleets across 30 locations in Norway, Iceland, Scotland, the Faroe Islands, South Africa, and the USA.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1953
- HeadquartersMåløy, Norway
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Selstad does
Selstad is a family-owned Norwegian maritime equipment group founded in 1953 in Måløy by twin brothers Harald and Alf Selstad, originally as a fishing-net repair shop. Today it designs, manufactures, and services a comprehensive range of aquaculture and fisheries equipment — including nets, ropes, mooring systems, cages, trawl gear, and safety equipment — for commercial salmon farmers and fishing fleets. Core proprietary technologies include AuroraNet UHMWPE netting, Selstad Ultra High Mono rope, SubSaga submersible cage systems for deep-water aquaculture, Stingray steel trawl gear, and Camaro shrimp trawls. The company operates an in-house rope factory (taufabrikk) at Måløy and holds exclusive access to solvent-free Sundless UHMWPE material via a 2024 partnership with Baotou Zhongyuan New Materials.
The business serves two primary segments: aquaculture (salmon farming operators such as Nordlaks, Lerøy, Grieg Seafood) and commercial fisheries (bottom and pelagic trawl, seine, gillnet fleets). Revenue is generated through hardware sales (equipment), professional services (washing, mending, impregnation, storage, 24/7 fleet service), and engineering design/consulting, with quote-based custom pricing and no public list prices. Distribution relies on a 30-location network across Norway, Iceland, Scotland, Faroe Islands, South Africa, and the USA, plus a Morocco joint venture with Badinotti Group (Maisma Net Services). Service stations are certified to NS 9415:2021 and NYTEK23 standards, and the group holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO/IEC 17020, SV 242, NetCare, and Global G.A.P. certifications.
Group revenue reached NOK 1,182.1 million in 2023 (up from 1,033.5M in 2022, +4%), with EBITDA of NOK 115.3 million and operating profit at Selstad AS of EUR 22.6 million (up 64% from EUR 13.8 million in 2022). The group employs over 500 people across wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries including Isfell (Iceland), W&J Knox (Scotland), Norsenet (South Africa), Gannet Nets (USA), Netastovan (Faroe Islands JV), Preplast, NorClean, and Fosnot. CEO Hans Petter Selstad has led the company for over 40 years, representing the second generation of family ownership following founder Harald Selstad's death in September 2023.
Selstad firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Selstad
- Legal name
- Selstad AS
- Website
- https://selstad.no
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1953
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Selstad is a family-owned Norwegian maritime equipment group (founded 1953) that designs, manufactures, and services aquaculture and fisheries equipment — nets, ropes, cages, and trawl gear — for salmon farmers and fishing fleets across 30 locations in Norway, Iceland, Scotland, the Faroe Islands, South Africa, and the USA.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Selstad industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Aquaculture and Fisheries Equipment Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Rope, Cordage, Twine, Tire Cord, and Tire Fabric Mills (314994), Ship Building and Repairing (336611)
- SIC
- Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730), Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Deck Machinery & Mooring Systems (Winches, Windlasses, Capstans) (IMAJAIAA)
Keywords
Where Selstad is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Måløy
- HQ country
- Norway
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices24 records
Markets served
Selstad business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Equipment Sales: Sale of aquaculture equipment (nets, cages, ropes, mooring systems) and fishing gear (trawls, seine nets, gillnets). Products include standard and custom-designed equipment.
- Service and Maintenance: Service of aquaculture equipment including washing, mending, impregnation, drying and storage. Service stations certified according to NS 9415:2021 and NYTEK. 24/7 service available for fishing fleet.
- Design and Consulting: Engineering design services for custom equipment, mooring analysis, and development projects. R&D department supports product development and customer-specific solutions.
- Rope Manufacturing: Production of Selstadtau ropes including Staaldanline, 3-strand, 4-strand, cross-braided Danline, and square-braided ropes. Includes traceable environmental rope with closed-loop recycling.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Other | Custom equipment and service solutions |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Selstad product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Selstad designs, manufactures, and services maritime equipment for the aquaculture and commercial fishing industries. Its core offerings include nets, ropes, cages, mooring systems, trawls, and lifting/safety equipment, supported by an in-house rope factory, an engineering design department, and certified service stations along the Norwegian coast and at international subsidiaries.
Product overview
Selstad is a family-owned company established in 1953 providing design, consulting, equipment, and service to sea-based industries. The product portfolio is organized into five core categories: (1) Aquaculture Products covering not purses, sea cages, nets, lice skirts, mooring systems, and related equipment for conventional, deep-water, and sea-based farming; (2) Fisheries Products including design, production and repair of bottom trawl, pelagic trawl, purse seine, Danish seine, and various nets; (3) Selstadtau (rope products) manufactured at their rope factory in Måløy including various Danline rope types; (4) Safety Equipment including life rafts, survival suits, and rescue gear with certified service; (5) Industry and Offshore products including lifting equipment, wire rope, anchors, and mooring systems. The offering is complemented by comprehensive service capabilities including aquaculture service stations, 24/7 fisheries service, life-saving equipment service, and storage facilities. Recent innovations include AuroraNet (UHMWPE net mesh), Stingray Gear (steel rockhopper gear), and Selstad Ultra High Mono (UHMWPE rope).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Selstadtau: Environmentally friendly rope products manufactured in Måløy with focus on sustainability, quality and short delivery times. Includes traceable environmental rope with closed-loop recycling system.
- AuroraNet
- Atlas Kolmuletrål
- Stingray Gear
- SubSaga
Products and services
- Aquaculture Equipment Comprehensive range of aquaculture equipment including not purses, sea cages, nets, lice skirts, mooring systems, rings, cleaning equipment, and accessories for conventional, deep-water, and sea-based salmon farming.
- Fisheries Equipment Design, production, and repair of commercial fishing gear including bottom trawl, pelagic trawl, purse seine, Danish seine, gillnets, creels, and lines for coastal and deep-sea fishing fleets.
- Selstadtau Ropes High-quality ropes produced at Selstad's rope factory in Måløy, including Ståldanline, 3-strand, 4-strand, cross-braided, and square-braided Danline ropes, plus traceable environmental rope with closed-loop recycling.
- Maritime Safety Equipment Rescue equipment including life rafts, survival suits, Mob-boats, pyrotechnic materials, life buoys, life jackets, and firefighting equipment supplied with certified servicing.
- Industry and Offshore Products Lifting equipment, wire rope, anchors, chains, mooring systems, and buoys for industrial and offshore customers, backed by a 150-ton test bench, socket casting, and wire spooling services.
- Engineering Design Services Engineering and design services for fishing gear and aquaculture equipment, including design of pelagic trawl, shrimp trawl, bottom trawl, purse seine, Danish seine, lice skirts, aquaculture cages, and bespoke development projects such as Havfarm 1 for Nordlaks.
- Aquaculture Equipment Service Environmentally friendly service of aquaculture equipment including washing, mending, impregnation, drying, and indoor storage, delivered from five NS 9415:2021- and NYTEK-certified service stations in Norway.
- Fisheries 24/7 Service Round-the-clock service for the fishing fleet including net and equipment repair, rope, wire, and technical component maintenance at ports along the Norwegian coast and internationally.
- Life-Saving Equipment Service Certified servicing of life rafts at the Måløy station and through partner Fosnot in Fosnavåg, approved by the Norwegian Maritime Directorate for DSB, Zodiac, and Viking life rafts.
- Storage Services Outdoor and indoor storage of aquaculture equipment, purse seine, Danish seine, trawls, and other gear at multiple locations in Norway.
- AuroraNet UHMWPE Netting Proprietary net mesh made from UHMWPE film designed for large aquaculture cages, offering low weight, high breaking strength, and improved fish welfare due to its smooth surface.
- Stingray Steel Rockhopper Gear Steel trawl gear with replaceable and adjustable steel plates, designed for bottom trawling in North Atlantic conditions and offering increased catch versus traditional rockhopper gear.
- Camaro Shrimp Trawl Custom-designed shrimp trawl developed in close collaboration with skippers and adapted to each vessel's motor size and winches, used by vessels such as MS Frøyanes.
- Atlas Kolmuletrål Pelagic Trawl
- SubSaga Submersible Cage System Submersible cage solution enabling salmon farming in deeper waters as a measure against sea lice challenges.
Quantifiable outcome
- Revenue increased by 4% (NOK 27 million) from 2022 to 2023
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Selstad
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Selstad technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Selstad partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Baotou Zhongyuan New Materials Co. Ltd.coreSigned cooperation agreement at AquaNor giving Selstad exclusive access to Sundless UHMWPE material for production of netting and ropes at Selstad's rope factory in Måløy. Material is produced without solvents, offering environmental benefits.
- Badinotti GroupcoreJoint venture 'Maisma Net Services' established with Badinotti Group, creating a shared production facility in Larache, Morocco for trawl and aquaculture net production. Selstad Group and Badinotti Group are both family-owned companies with complementary competencies and global presence.
- Fjord SolutionscorePartnership to offer aquaculture operators a complete package including sludge collection, mooring analysis, moorings, rings, and nets. Fjord Solutions provides leading sludge collection technology while Selstad delivers robust float collars, mooring, and aquaculture nets.
- AKVA GroupminorJoint initiative with AKVA Group and Mørenot to create a free training course for aquaculture customers on use and maintenance of aquaculture nets. Course available through Blue Planet Academy platform.
- MørenotminorJoint initiative with AKVA Group and Mørenot to create a free training course for aquaculture customers on use and maintenance of aquaculture nets.
- Thyborøn TrawldoorcoreCollaboration since 2000 for supply of trawl doors for bottom trawling, pelagic trawling, and semi-pelagic trawling. Thyborøn develops new types of trawl doors in close cooperation with fishermen and other experts.
- Grieg SeafoodcorePartner in Sporbart Miljøtau (Traceable Environmental Rope) initiative. Together with Replast and Brisk Safety, developed a rope that establishes circular economy practice in Norway with closed-loop recycling.
- Brisk SafetycorePartner in Sporbart Miljøtau initiative. Brisk Safety operates the return system for collecting used ropes for recycling through Selstad's locations.
- ReplastcorePartner in Sporbart Miljøtau initiative. Replast converts collected ropes into plastic pellets for recycling.
- IsfellcoreIcelandic subsidiary and close collaboration partner in shrimp trawl design. Isfell has long been leading in shrimp trawl design and production. Selstad collaborates closely with them in design work.
- Inter NotserviceminorChannel partner in Norway offering certification services for fishing equipment and aquaculture nets.
- FosnotminorPartner in Fosnavåg offering certified service for life rafts, survival suits, inflatable life jackets, firefighter equipment, and fire extinguishers.
- Nistad-gruppenminorOwner of the facility at Øyjordneset in Sørreisa where Selstad established its service station. Collaboration on facility development and operations.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Selstad competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Aker Solutions: Major Norwegian provider of offshore and subsea engineering, mooring systems, and lifecycle services. Compares to Selstad on the mooring and industrial/offshore product lines, though Aker Solutions operates at significantly greater scale and scope.
- Kongsberg Maritime: Norwegian-headquartered global supplier of marine systems, including vessel automation, deck machinery, and offshore equipment. Larger, broader incumbent that overlaps with Selstad in mooring, deck machinery, and aquaculture-support technology at a portfolio level.
- Bridon-Bekaert Ropes Group: Global industrial rope and cordage manufacturer serving marine, offshore, mining, and crane markets. Comparable to Selstad's rope factory in Måløy at the broader rope-product level, though Bridon-Bekaert's portfolio spans far beyond aquaculture and fisheries.
Direct peers
- Mørenot: Norwegian manufacturer and service provider of aquaculture nets, mooring systems, and lice skirts. Closest direct competitor to Selstad in Norwegian salmon farming equipment; Selstad and Mørenot even co-developed a free training course for net maintenance through Blue Planet Academy.
- Badinotti Group: Italian-headquartered global manufacturer of aquaculture and fishery nets with production in multiple countries. Direct peer to Selstad internationally; notably, Selstad and Badinotti also operate the Maisma Net Services JV in Morocco, making them both competitors and partners.
- AKVA Group: Largest publicly listed supplier of aquaculture technology and equipment, including cages, nets, sensors, feeding systems, and software. Directly competes with Selstad across the Norwegian salmon-farming equipment stack and is the natural benchmark for sector scale.
- Hampidjan: Icelandic manufacturer of high-performance ropes and netting for fishing and aquaculture. Highly comparable to Selstad's rope and net business with similar end customers and overlapping presence in Iceland and the North Atlantic.
- Egersund Net: Norwegian producer of aquaculture nets, ropes, and mooring equipment with deep roots in the Norwegian salmon-farming supply chain. Directly comparable product portfolio and customer base to Selstad's core aquaculture line.
Others
- Garware Technical Fibres: Indian technical-textiles manufacturer and Selstad's longstanding outsourced production partner for aquaculture nets since 2004. Although an OEM/supplier rather than a competitor, Garware is a key comparable for net-manufacturing scale, cost structure, and global reach.
- Thyborøn Trawldoor: Danish manufacturer of trawl doors used in bottom, pelagic, and semi-pelagic trawling. Long-standing collaboration partner to Selstad (since 2000) for trawl-door supply — comparable in fisheries-gear design and end customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Selstad social profiles
Digital presenceSelstad compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance9 records
Selstad financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Selstad leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
Selstad subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries10 records
Selstad funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Selstad 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 Selstad
What does Selstad do?
Selstad designs, manufactures, and services maritime equipment for the aquaculture and commercial fishing industries. Its core offerings include nets, ropes, cages, mooring systems, trawls, and lifting/safety equipment, supported by an in-house rope factory, an engineering design department, and certified service stations along the Norwegian coast and at international subsidiaries.
Is Selstad a public or private company?
Selstad is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Selstad founded?
Selstad was founded in 1953. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Selstad based?
Selstad is headquartered in Måløy, Norway, in the Europe region.
How does Selstad make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Equipment Sales are the primary driver. The others are service and Maintenance, design and Consulting and rope Manufacturing.
Who are Selstad's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Aker Solutions, Kongsberg Maritime and Bridon-Bekaert Ropes Group. Direct peers are Mørenot, Badinotti Group, AKVA Group, Hampidjan and Egersund Net. Others are Garware Technical Fibres and Thyborøn Trawldoor.
Does Selstad have an API?
No public API is recorded for Selstad.
What industry is Selstad in?
Selstad's product category is Aquaculture and Fisheries Equipment Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAJAIAA, Deck Machinery & Mooring Systems (Winches, Windlasses, Capstans). Its NAICS code is 314994 and its SIC code is 3730.