What Ulstein Design & Solutions B.v. does

Ulstein Design & Solutions B.V. is the Dutch-registered ship design subsidiary of Norway's Ulstein Group ASA, a third-generation family-owned maritime group founded in 1917. The company provides specialized vessel design, engineering, and lifecycle services for the offshore energy, passenger transport, and fisheries sectors, with a portfolio of 170 vessel designs and a reference base of 325 vessels built at the group's Ulstein Verft shipyard in Ulsteinvik, Norway. Core technology is anchored by proprietary hull innovations — the ULSTEIN X-BOW® inverted-bow design and the ULSTEIN TWIN X-STERN® dual-stern configuration — supported by CFD-driven hydrodynamic simulation and the ULSTEIN X-CONNECT® marine automation architecture (ULSTEIN IAS / AMS). Headcount, revenue, and detailed financials are not publicly disclosed.

The company operates a B2B enterprise sales model targeting shipowners and operators globally, executing long-cycle, project-based contracts that bundle concept design, detailed engineering, procurement, construction management, and system integration. Revenue is generated across four streams: ship design services (including licensing of proprietary hull platforms), shipbuilding at Ulstein Verft and partner yards (CRIST in Poland, Tersan in Turkey, Hanwha Philly Shipyard in the US), system integration and power/control solutions via Ulstein Power & Control, and aftermarket services (conversions, repairs, dry-dockings). Manufacturing footprint includes Ulstein Marine Equipment (Ningbo) Co. Ltd (ISO 9001:2015 certified) for marine electric equipment, and Ulstein Marine Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd for regional sales, engineering, and site support in Asia.

Notable marquee customers include Bernhard Schulte Offshore (four WINDEA-series CSOVs), Olympic (Boreas and Notos), Acta Marine (SX216 series including Acta Pegasus and Acta Gemini), Color Line (Color Hybrid — the world's largest plug-in hybrid ferry), Lindblad Expeditions (National Geographic Resolution), Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (Acadia), and Bluewild (ECOFIVE). Key customers cite quantified outcomes including ~50% fuel reduction on TWIN X-STERN CSOVs, 12 nautical miles on battery power for the Color Hybrid, and 5,000+ annual turbine interventions by Ulstein W2W vessels, anchoring Ulstein's value proposition around fuel efficiency, emissions reduction, and operability in harsh offshore conditions.

Name

Ulstein Design & Solutions B.v.

Legal name

Ulstein Group ASA

Website

https://ulstein.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1917

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Ulstein Design & Solutions B.V. designs specialized vessels for offshore energy, passenger transport, and fisheries. Operating under Norway's Ulstein Group, it provides ship design, engineering, and lifecycle services through Ulstein Verft, leveraging proprietary hull innovations like X-BOW and TWIN X-STERN for global enterprise shipowners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ship design and shipbuilding services for specialized maritime vessels

NAICS

Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Ship and Boat Building (3366), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Production Design & Detailed Engineering (3D CAD, Drawings, BOM, Nesting) (IMAJAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Project Management & Owner’s Engineering / Technical Consultancy (Spec Writing, Bid Support, Site Support) (IMAJAGAO), Retrofits & Modernization (Scrubbers, Ballast Water, Alternative Fuels, Energy-Saving Devices) (IMAJAFAH), Marine Electrical Installation, Commissioning & Field Services (IMAJAJAL), Underwater Hull Inspection, Cleaning & Propeller Services (TLAKAKAJ), Retrofits, Upgrades & Compliance Conversions (Scrubbers, BWTS, Alternative Fuels, Energy-Saving Devices) (TLAHAMAI)

Keywords

• Ship design services
• Shipbuilding and newbuild construction
• Marine system integration
• Offshore energy vessels
• Naval architecture engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Ulsteinvik

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ship Design Services: Design and engineering services for vessels, including concept development, detailed design, and naval architecture. Revenue generated through design contracts and licensing of proprietary vessel designs.
2. Shipbuilding: Construction of specialized vessels at Ulstein Verft yard in Norway. Revenue from newbuild contracts including project management, construction, installation, and commissioning services. Also provides aftermarket services including repairs, conversions, and upgrades.
3. System Integration & Power Solutions: Supply and integration of power and control systems, marine automation, and performance optimization solutions for vessels. Can be delivered as part of newbuild projects or as retrofit/upgrades to existing vessels.
4. Aftermarket Services: Repair, conversion, and upgrade services for existing vessels. Includes dry docking, modifications, and life-cycle extension services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ulstein Design & Solutions B.V. provides ship design and engineering services (concept design, naval architecture, CFD simulations, design conversions, feasibility studies and performance optimization) for specialized offshore energy, cruise/passenger, and fisheries vessels. The offerings include proprietary hull innovations (ULSTEIN X-BOW® and ULSTEIN TWIN X-STERN®), system integration for power, control and marine automation via the X-CONNECT® architecture, and digital services for fuel optimization (BLUE BOX, ECOMETER) and emissions compliance (MRV/NOx/EU ETS). Ulstein Verft in Norway delivers shipbuilding, conversions and aftermarket support, while Chinese entities in Shanghai and Ningbo provide regional engineering, sales and marine electrical equipment.

Product overview

Ulstein Design & Solutions B.v. is a third-generation family-owned Norwegian maritime company offering a comprehensive portfolio of ship design, shipbuilding, and system solutions. The company operates through Ulstein Verft (shipbuilding yard established 1917), Ulstein Design & Solutions AS (design and engineering), and Ulstein Power & Control AS (power and automation systems). Core offerings include vessel design across multiple segments (offshore energy, cruise, adventure, seafood/fishery), full shipbuilding services at their Norwegian yard, system integration for power and control solutions, and aftermarket services including conversions and upgrades. The digital services suite includes BLUE BOX, ECOMETER, MRV/NOx reporting tools, and EU ETS calculators. Notable innovations include the patented ULSTEIN X-BOW hull design and TWIN X-STERN vessel configuration. The company also offers engineering services such as CFD simulations, feasibility studies, performance optimization, and design conversions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ULSTEIN X-BOW: Innovative hull line design featuring an inverted bow that improves vessel performance in rough seas, reduces fuel consumption, and enhances crew comfort.
• ULSTEIN TWIN X-STERN
• ULSTEIN SX222
• ULSTEIN SX216

Products and services

• Ship Design Comprehensive ship design and engineering services including concept development, detailed engineering, naval architecture and design for vessel types such as offshore support, CSOV/walk-to-work, cruise, RoPax ferries and fishing vessels, targeted at enterprise shipowners and operators.
• Shipbuilding at Ulstein Verft Full-service newbuild shipbuilding at the Ulstein Verft yard in Ulsteinvik, Norway, building specialized vessels for offshore energy, cruise and fisheries customers; includes hull construction, outfitting, commissioning, project management and delivery.
• Ulstein Verft Aftermarket Services Conversion, repair, upgrade and dry docking services for existing vessels to keep them competitive and compliant with regulatory requirements, targeted at shipowners and operators needing lifecycle support.
• System Integration / Power & Control Solutions System integration services providing power distribution, energy management and marine automation solutions, delivered using the ULSTEIN X-CONNECT® architecture with ULSTEIN IAS and ULSTEIN AMS as part of newbuild projects or retrofits/upgrades to existing vessels, for shipowners seeking fuel-efficient and lower-emission operations.
• CFD Simulations Computational Fluid Dynamics simulation services for hull optimization and vessel performance prediction, used in Ulstein design projects to develop fuel-efficient hulls and validate hydrodynamic performance for shipowners and operators.
• Design Conversions Engineering design service to redesign and modify existing vessels for new operational requirements, such as converting platform supply vessels to offshore wind support, typically delivered alongside Ulstein Verft shipyard work for shipowners.
• Feasibility Studies Technical and economic feasibility assessments for ship design, newbuild and modification projects, supporting shipowners and operators in evaluating project viability, fuel and emissions scenarios, and regulatory considerations.
• Performance Optimising Service to optimize vessel performance including fuel efficiency improvements and operational effectiveness enhancements, leveraging CFD, automation and operational data, targeted at shipowners seeking to reduce fuel cost and emissions on existing fleets.
• Pipe Fabrication and Cold Bending Pipe fabrication and cold bending services at Ulstein Verft for ship construction, refit and repair projects, sold to shipowners, yards and industrial customers.
• Crane Lift and Transport Heavy lift and transport services for shipbuilding operations at Ulstein Verft, supporting construction and refit projects for the group's shipbuilding customers and external clients.
• System Support and Upgrades Ongoing support and upgrade services for vessel power, automation and control systems throughout the vessel lifecycle, used by shipowners operating Ulstein-equipped vessels.
• On-site Support and Ship Services On-site engineering support and ship services for vessels during operations, delivered to shipowners and operators globally.
• Automated MRV Reporting Automated Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) digital service for emissions compliance, targeted at shipowners and operators needing MRV reporting on EU and international voyages.
• Automated NOx Reporting Automated NOx reporting digital service for regulatory compliance, used by vessel operators to monitor and report nitrogen oxide emissions.
• ECOMETER Fuel Optimization Digital fuel optimization system (ECOMETER) that improves vessel fuel efficiency and reduces operational costs, sold to shipowners and operators seeking voyage optimization on existing vessels.
• ULSTEIN BLUE BOX Digital services solution for vessel monitoring and data collection, providing onboard data acquisition and shore-side insight for shipowners and operators running Ulstein-equipped vessels.
• EU ETS Calculators European Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) calculators for fleet compliance and cost estimation, used by shipowners and operators to model EU ETS exposure and planning scenarios.
• ULSTEIN X-BOW Hull Innovation Proprietary registered-trademark ULSTEIN X-BOW® inverted-bow hull design that reduces fuel consumption, improves sea-keeping and enhances comfort in rough seas, licensed and applied across Ulstein vessel programmes.
• ULSTEIN TWIN X-STERN Vessel Design Proprietary registered-trademark ULSTEIN TWIN X-STERN® dual-stern vessel concept enabling operations in two directions without turning, used in CSOV/walk-to-work designs for offshore wind, with about 50% fuel reduction versus conventional CSOVs.
• ULSTEIN SX222 CSOV Design Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (CSOV) design platform with TWIN X-STERN and hybrid power optimized for offshore wind, sold to offshore energy shipowners building new CSOVs.
• ULSTEIN SX216 CSOV Design Construction Service Operation Vessel design with TWIN X-STERN configuration for walk-to-work operations, available to offshore energy operators building CSOVs for wind farm maintenance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% reduction in fuel consumption with TWIN X-STERN CSOVs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Crist ShipyardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHull construction partner for CSOV vessels. Hulls for BS Offshore TWIN X-STERN vessels (yarno 320, 321) were built by CRIST in Gdynia, Poland, then transported to Ulstein Verft for outfitting and commissioning.
• Fosen YardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign partner for Color Hybrid vessel, contributing to the innovative plug-in hybrid ferry design.
• EGGS DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for Marine Automation Systems design. Won DOGA Award together for X-CONNECT based automation systems.
• Tersan ShipyardcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBuilds CSOV vessels for Acta Marine based on Ulstein design (SX216 TWIN X-STERN). Acta Pegasus delivered December 2025.
• Hanwha Philly ShipyardcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorConstructed Acadia subsea rock installation vessel based on Ulstein Design & Solutions B.V. design for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kongsberg Maritime: Norwegian marine technology company supplying automation, navigation, and integrated bridge systems to shipyards; competes with Ulstein's X-CONNECT® marine automation architecture on system integration scope.
• Wärtsilä: Finnish marine technology major providing engines, propulsion, and lifecycle services — comparable to Ulstein on marine power systems, hybrid integrations (e.g., Color Hybrid ferry), and digital fleet services.
• ABB Marine & Ports: Supplies marine power, propulsion, and automation systems for commercial vessels, overlapping with Ulstein Power & Control's scope on electrical and control system integration.
• Damen Shipyards Group: Large Dutch shipbuilding group with a broad portfolio spanning offshore, naval, ferry, and workboat segments; overlaps with Ulstein in offshore wind and workboat design and shipbuilding, but with a much wider platform breadth.

Direct peers

• Salt Ship Design: Norwegian ship design firm specializing in offshore and specialized vessels — competes with Ulstein Design & Solutions on CSOV and offshore-wind vessel concept and detailed design contracts.
• VARD (Fincantieri): Norwegian-headquartered shipyard group (now a Fincantieri subsidiary) that designs and builds offshore service vessels, including CSOVs and walk-to-work platforms — the most direct head-to-head competitor for Ulstein in the offshore wind vessel market.

Emerging players

• C-Job Naval Architects: Independent Dutch naval architecture firm focused on ship design and engineering, with growing activity in offshore wind and zero-emission vessel concepts — comparable in service offering to Ulstein Design & Solutions.
• Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam: Netherlands-based ship design and engineering firm serving offshore, dredging, and specialized vessel markets; comparable to the Dutch Ulstein Design & Solutions B.V. entity on detailed-engineering and refit-design work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Ulstein-Group
• Facebookfacebook.com/ulsteingroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ulstein
• Instagraminstagram.com/ulsteingroup

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 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 Ulstein Design & Solutions B.v.