Frigstad Group
Frigstad Group, founded in 1989, is a privately held Norwegian offshore firm licensing proprietary semi-submersible drilling and wind turbine installation vessel designs. Through subsidiaries Frigstad Engineering and Frigstad Offshore, it serves drilling operators, wind developers, and shipyards globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersOslo, Norway
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Frigstad Group does
Frigstad Group is a privately held Norwegian offshore services and engineering group founded in 1989. It operates through two wholly owned subsidiaries: Frigstad Engineering, which develops and licenses proprietary semi-submersible vessel designs including the D90 (available in mid-water and harsh environment variants), D80 MW, and the newly introduced W90 wind turbine installation design, along with engineering services such as riser and mooring analysis; and Frigstad Offshore, which functions as an international drilling contractor and operator of wind turbine installation vessels, offering rig management, construction management, project financing, and operational support for all types of offshore vessels. The group has offices in Norway (Oslo area, headquarters), Cyprus (Limassol, offshore operations), and Brazil (regional engineering and offshore operations), and serves clients globally across offshore drilling operators, offshore wind developers, shipyards, and drilling equipment suppliers.
The business model combines professional services revenue (rig management, construction management, engineering analysis) with licensing and royalty-style revenue from the proprietary vessel design portfolio. Its core technology is centered on semi-submersible vessel architecture — a hull form that enables stability and operations in harsh offshore environments — packaged as repeatable, branded designs (D90, D80 MW, W90) that can be built at multiple international shipyards and integrated with drilling or wind turbine installation equipment. Engineering services cover structural, hydrodynamic, riser, and mooring analysis performed for shipyards and operators. The go-to-market is direct enterprise sales to major shipyards, drilling contractors, and wind developers, supported by downloadable brochures, corporate videos, and a small top-of-funnel presence on LinkedIn and YouTube. Pricing is custom and quote-based; no public pricing is disclosed. A D90 trademark has been registered as a brand identity asset.
Recent strategic activity centers on broadening the design portfolio into offshore wind (W90 launch, August 2023; MOU with Entrion Wind, April 2024) under a newly appointed CEO (Eirik Landaas-Nilsen, October 2023), while continuing to manage discrete rig assets such as Hakuryu-12 (handed over April 2022) and Hakuryu-15 (asset manager since November 2018). No financial figures, headcount, or funding data are publicly disclosed.
Frigstad Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Frigstad Group
- Legal name
- Frigstad Group
- Website
- https://frigstad.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Frigstad Group, founded in 1989, is a privately held Norwegian offshore firm licensing proprietary semi-submersible drilling and wind turbine installation vessel designs. Through subsidiaries Frigstad Engineering and Frigstad Offshore, it serves drilling operators, wind developers, and shipyards globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Frigstad Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Offshore Engineering and Drilling Services
- NAICS
- Ship and Boat Building (3366), Oil and Gas Field Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333132)
- SIC
- Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment (3533)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Drillship & Semi-submersible Rig Hull Construction (IMAJACAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Marine & Offshore Wind BOP Construction (Foundations, Cables, Ports, Installation Support) (EUAMAFAI)
Keywords
Where Frigstad Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oslo
- HQ country
- Norway
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Frigstad Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Offshore Drilling Services: Offshore drilling contractor operations, including rig management and operational services for jackup and semi-submersible drilling units.
- Wind Turbine Installation Services: Construction and operation of wind turbine installation vessels for offshore wind projects.
- Engineering Design Services: High-end semi-submersible drilling and wind turbine installation designs, as well as offshore engineering services provided to clients worldwide.
- Construction Management: Project management and construction oversight services for offshore vessel projects.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Frigstad Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Frigstad Group provides proprietary semi-submersible vessel designs (D90, D80 MW, W90) for offshore drilling and wind turbine installation, along with engineering services such as riser and mooring analysis. Through its Frigstad Offshore subsidiary, it delivers international drilling contracting, wind turbine installation vessel operations, rig management, construction management, and project financing services for offshore vessels globally.
Product overview
Frigstad Group operates two main divisions: Frigstad Engineering provides semi-submersible vessel designs including the D90 (harsh environment), D80, and W90 wind turbine installation vessel, along with riser and mooring analysis services; Frigstad Offshore serves as an international drilling contractor and wind turbine installation vessel operator offering rig management, construction management, project financing, and operational services. The group serves the offshore drilling and offshore wind industries globally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Frigstad D90: Semi-submersible drilling rig design
- Frigstad W90
- Frigstad D80 MW
Products and services
- Frigstad D90 Semi-Submersible Drilling Vessel Design Proprietary semi-submersible drilling vessel design, available with a harsh environment version, for international offshore drilling operators requiring efficient deep-water and harsh-environment drilling capability.
- Frigstad D80 MW Semi-Submersible Drilling Vessel Design Proprietary semi-submersible drilling vessel design tailored for mid-water offshore drilling applications, licensed to shipyards and drilling operators.
- Frigstad W90 Wind Turbine Installation Vessel Design Proprietary wind turbine installation vessel design offering a new and more efficient way of installing offshore wind turbines, developed for offshore wind developers and installation contractors.
- Riser and Mooring Analysis Services Engineering analysis services for riser systems and mooring configurations in offshore applications, provided to shipyards and drilling operators worldwide.
- Offshore Rig Management Services Complete range of management services for all types of offshore drilling rigs and vessels internationally, provided to offshore drilling contractors and rig owners.
- Construction Management Services Project management and construction oversight services for offshore vessel projects delivered to shipyards and offshore operators.
- Project Financing Services Business development and project financing support for offshore vessel projects, provided to shipyards, drilling contractors, and wind developers.
- Operational Experience Services Operational expertise and experience services for offshore drilling and wind turbine installation operations, provided to vessel owners and operators.
- Offshore Drilling Contract Services International offshore drilling contracting services covering rig management and operational services for jackup and semi-submersible drilling units, delivered to oil and gas operators worldwide.
- Wind Turbine Installation Vessel Operations Construction and operation of wind turbine installation vessels for offshore wind projects, supporting wind developers and farm owners.
Quantifiable outcome
- Successfully delivered D90 semi-submersible vessels at multiple international shipyards
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Frigstad Group
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Frigstad Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Frigstad Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Entrion WindcoreFrigstad Engineering signed MOU with Entrion Wind in April 2024 to cooperate on installation vessel design. The two companies will incorporate and verify the technical requirements for offshore wind installation vessel solutions.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Frigstad Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Van Oord: Major Dutch marine contractor with offshore wind installation capabilities — a competitor to Frigstad Offshore's wind installation ambitions and a likely customer of purpose-built WTIV designs.
- Transocean: Largest offshore drilling contractor with a fleet heavily weighted toward ultra-deepwater semi-submersibles and drillships — overlaps with Frigstad's drilling operations and is a potential buyer of D90-class designs.
- Saipem: Integrated oilfield services and offshore wind EPC contractor with proprietary vessel designs (e.g., Wind Sizzler/Starship) — competes with both Frigstad Engineering's design IP and Frigstad Offshore's contracting services.
Direct peers
- Borr Drilling: Jackup-focused offshore drilling contractor that owns and operates rigs in the same shallow-water segments where Frigstad Offshore has managed Hakuryu-12 and Hakuryu-15.
- Ulstein: Norwegian ship design and shipbuilding firm specializing in offshore vessels including wind turbine installation and service vessels — overlapping with Frigstad Engineering's offshore wind and semi-submersible design business.
- Seadrill: International offshore drilling contractor operating a fleet that includes semi-submersible rigs — a peer to Frigstad Offshore's drilling contractor business and a potential customer/licensee of Frigstad Engineering designs.
- GustoMSC (NOV): GustoMSC designs semi-submersible drilling rigs and offshore wind installation vessels, directly competing with Frigstad Engineering's D90/D80 and W90 vessel design offerings for shipyard and operator customers.
- Cadeler: Pure-play wind turbine installation vessel owner and operator — directly comparable to Frigstad Offshore's WTIV operating ambitions and the W90 design's target end-user.
- Diamond Offshore: Offshore drilling contractor operating a fleet of semi-submersible rigs — directly comparable to Frigstad Offshore's drilling contracting business.
Emerging players
- Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam: Independent Dutch offshore vessel design and engineering firm active in semi-submersible and renewable-energy vessel design — a smaller, peer-scale naval architect competing for similar engineering mandates.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Frigstad Group social profiles
Digital presenceFrigstad Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Frigstad Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Frigstad Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Frigstad Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frigstad Group 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 Frigstad Group
What does Frigstad Group do?
Frigstad Group provides proprietary semi-submersible vessel designs (D90, D80 MW, W90) for offshore drilling and wind turbine installation, along with engineering services such as riser and mooring analysis. Through its Frigstad Offshore subsidiary, it delivers international drilling contracting, wind turbine installation vessel operations, rig management, construction management, and project financing services for offshore vessels globally.
Is Frigstad Group a public or private company?
Frigstad Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Frigstad Group founded?
Frigstad Group was founded in 1989.
Where is Frigstad Group based?
Frigstad Group is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, in the Europe region.
How does Frigstad Group make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Offshore Drilling Services are the primary driver. The others are wind Turbine Installation Services, engineering Design Services and construction Management.
Who are Frigstad Group's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Van Oord, Transocean and Saipem. Direct peers are Borr Drilling, Ulstein, Seadrill, GustoMSC (NOV), Cadeler and Diamond Offshore. Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam is listed as an emerging player.
Does Frigstad Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Frigstad Group.
What industry is Frigstad Group in?
Frigstad Group's product category is Offshore Engineering and Drilling Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAJACAB, Drillship & Semi-submersible Rig Hull Construction, with a secondary code of EUAMAFAI, Marine & Offshore Wind BOP Construction (Foundations, Cables, Ports, Installation Support). Its NAICS code is 3366 and its SIC code is 3533.