Skipasýn

What Skipasýn does

Skipasýn (legal name: Verkfræðistofan Skipasýn ehf.) is an Icelandic naval architecture and marine engineering firm founded in 1988, headquartered at Grandagarður 14, 101 Reykjavík. The company specializes in the design of commercial fishing vessels — including trawlers (19–99 m), seiners (20–80 m), longliners (20–55 m), crabbers (45–65 m), and oceanographic / fisheries research vessels (20–70 m) — and has expanded its portfolio into adjacent vessel categories such as live fish carriers, multipurpose fishing vessels, crew transport vessels, and scallop dredgers. Over 36 years the firm has produced 70+ vessel designs and supported 40+ newbuildings, with engineering capabilities spanning initial research, basic design, class design (DNV, LR, BV, RS), workshop design, and on-site author supervision.

The firm's core technical differentiators are proprietary hydrodynamic hull-form optimization, a "super-propeller" concept paired with customized Kort nozzles (delivering ~50 t bollard pull on trawlers), construction-friendly design approaches that reduce shipyard cost and time, and propulsion efficiency gains of approximately 30% versus substituted vessels. The product portfolio also includes diesel-electric propulsion with methanol-fuel implementation for longliners, anti-rolling tank systems, and mechanized hold / cargo-handling automation. The firm has maintained a strategic ship-construction partnership with Armon Shipyards in Spain (Vigo and Gijón) and participates in EU research programs (e.g., DiscardLess).

The business operates on a project-based professional services model. Revenue is generated through customized turnkey ship design packages and consulting (project management, tender preparation, ship valuations, CFD/FEA research, stability calculations) sold via direct enterprise sales to fishing vessel owners, shipyards, and maritime research institutions. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is B2B enterprise field sales focused on the Icelandic, Scandinavian, European, Russian, Asian, and Canadian markets, with design offices in Iceland, Poland, and Russia. Customer segments center on commercial fishing operators (primary) and government research institutes (secondary), with named Icelandic clients including HG hf., Þorbjörn hf., Hraðfrystihúsið-Gunnvar hf., and Hafrannsóknastofnunar (MFRI). The firm earned the Baird Maritime "Best Large Trawler 2022" award for the Baldvin Njálsson project. The company is privately held with 1–10 employees and has not raised external funding.

Name

Skipasýn

Legal name

Verkfræðistofan Skipasýn ehf.

Website

https://skipasyn.is

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Skipasýn is an Icelandic naval architecture and marine engineering firm that designs commercial fishing vessels and oceanographic research ships, serving Icelandic and international fishing companies, shipyards, and government research institutes with hydrodynamic-optimized, fuel-efficient vessel designs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Services

NAICS

Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Other Specialized Design Services (541490)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAJADAE

Fishing Vessels (Trawlers, Longliners, Purse Seiners)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Marine & Shipbuilding/Small Craft & Workboat Building (Tugs, Ferries, Patrol, Fishing)

SECONDARYTLAHAMAI

Retrofits, Upgrades & Compliance Conversions (Scrubbers, BWTS, Alternative Fuels, Energy-Saving Devices)

Transportation & Logistics/Ports, Terminals & Maritime Services/Ship Repair, Dry Docking & Marine Engineering Services

Keywords

• Naval architecture services
• Fishing vessel design
• Marine engineering consultancy
• Ship newbuilding design
• Vessel propulsion optimization

Headquarters

HQ city

Reykjavík

HQ country

Iceland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 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 Services: Customized turnkey ship designs and conversions for fishing vessels including initial research, basic design, class design, and workshop design phases. Revenue generated through professional engineering services for newbuildings and vessel modifications.
2. Technical Consulting Services: Naval architecture and marine engineering consultancy including project management, tender document preparation, ship valuations and surveys, research services (CFD, FEA), inclining tests, and stability calculations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Skipasýn is an Icelandic naval architecture and marine engineering firm that designs customized fishing vessels — trawlers, seiners, longliners, crabbers, scientific research vessels, and coastal fishing boats — and provides turnkey ship design services plus engineering consultancy to commercial fishing companies, shipyards, and maritime research institutions worldwide. The company delivers complete design packages (initial research, basic design, class design for DNV/LR/BV/RS, workshop design) with author supervision during construction, leveraging hydrodynamically optimized hull forms and propulsion efficiency technologies.

Product overview

SKIPASÝN is a naval architecture and marine engineering company based in Iceland offering a comprehensive portfolio of fishing vessel designs and marine engineering services. The company provides over 70 vessel designs across six main product lines: Trawler Designs (19-99m), Seiner Designs (20-80m), Longliner Designs (20-55m), Crabber Designs (45-65m), Scientific Research Vessel Designs (20-70m), and various Other vessel types including coastal fishing vessels, live fish carriers, multipurpose vessels, crew transport vessels, and scallop dredgers. The product portfolio also includes add-on systems such as Kort Nozzles, Anti-Rolling Tanks, and Mechanized Hold Systems. Services are delivered through a four-step design process (initial research, basic design, class design, workshop design) with technical support, plus additional consultancy services covering project management, tender preparation, ship valuations, and engineering research. The company has 40+ newbuildings delivered over 36 years of operation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trawler Designs
• Seiner Designs
• Longliner Designs
• Crabber Designs
• Scientific Research Vessel (SRV) Designs
• Coastal Fishing Vessel Designs
• Live Fish Carrier (LFC) — 23.5m Design
• Multipurpose Fishing Vessel (MFV) — 23.99m Design
• Crew Transport Vessel (CTV) — 26m Design
• Scallop Dredger (SD) — 34.3m Design
• Customized Kort Nozzle Designs
• Anti-Rolling Tank Systems
• Mechanized Hold Systems
• Turnkey Ship Design Services
• Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Consultancy

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% increase in propulsion efficiency compared to substituted vessels
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Armon Shipyards (Vigo, Spain)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShip construction partnership for newbuilding projects including the 70m Oceanographic and Fisheries Research Vessel for the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute of Iceland
• Armon Shipyards (Gijón, Spain)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShip construction partnership for fishing vessels including the 58m Freshfish Trawler Hulda Björnsdóttir GK-11 and 67m freezer trawler projects
• Norwegian and Danish Partner TeamsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation on Seiner-Trawler newbuilding design and construction projects
• EU Research ProgramsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner82.4m trawler design developed under EU 'DiscardLess' grant program in partnership with several R&D organizations and specialized equipment manufacturers

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Wärtsilä: Global marine solutions provider offering ship design services alongside engines, propulsion, and lifecycle services. A broad incumbent whose marine design offering overlaps with SKIPASÝN's naval architecture work.
• Kongsberg Maritime: Major marine technology provider with ship design, propulsion, automation, and integrated vessel systems. A broad incumbent competing for advanced commercial vessel contracts across all major vessel segments.
• BMT Group: Large UK-based maritime engineering consultancy offering ship design, naval architecture, and marine advisory services across fishing, defense, offshore, and commercial marine. A much broader incumbent with overlapping capabilities in vessel design.
• Vard (Fincantieri): Major shipbuilding group with in-house vessel design capabilities serving fishing, offshore, and specialized vessel markets. Larger incumbent competitor that can both design and build, versus SKIPASÝN's design-house model.

Direct peers

• Skipsteknisk: Leading Norwegian naval architecture firm specializing in fishing vessel design (trawlers, purse seiners, longliners) and offshore vessels. Direct competitor for the same class of commercial fishing newbuilding contracts SKIPASÝN serves globally.
• Ulstein Design & Solutions: Norwegian ship design firm providing customized vessel designs across fishing, offshore wind, and specialized segments. Comparable naval architecture capability with global delivery footprint.
• HAV Design: Norwegian ship design house with deep expertise in fishing vessels (trawlers, well boats) and offshore vessels. Competes directly for newbuilding design mandates in the same operator segments SKIPASÝN targets.
• KNUD E. HANSEN: Independent Danish ship design consultancy offering naval architecture and engineering services across fishing, offshore, and specialized vessels. Comparable in offering customized turnkey ship designs to a similar global client base.
• Havyard: Norwegian ship designer and builder with active fishing vessel (trawler, longliner) design portfolio. Targets similar operator segments with comparable vessel classes to those in SKIPASÝN's product range.

Others

• MARIN (Maritime Research Institute Netherlands): Maritime research organization providing hydrodynamic testing, CFD/FEA, and naval architecture research that informs fishing vessel design. Functions as an enabling R&D partner used by ship designers rather than a direct competing design house.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/skipasyn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/skipas-n-ehf-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Skipasýn