Hellenic Highspeed at full speed in the Aegean

Naval architecture and marine engineering from Piraeus since 1978. Ferries, high-speed craft, cruise ships and conversions for the Aegean and beyond.

Clients include Blue Star Ferries · Attica Group · Minoan Lines · Hellenic Seaways · ANEK · Louis · Salamis

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Company

Founded in Piraeus in 1978 by Nikos Pratikakis. Led today by Georgios Pratikakis, naval architect and production engineer.

A hull under construction in dry dock, wrapped in scaffolding
New building, structural stage
A naval architect marking up a general arrangement drawing
General arrangement, first pass

One of the few offices that specialise in passenger and ro-pax ships.

Naval architects, mechanical and electrical engineers and designers, many of them with years at shipyards and classification societies. From the first newbuild supervisions for Minoan Lines and Festival Cruises to today's ferry designs, the office has grown with the Greek coastal fleet.

Clients are the Greek coastal operators first, then owners in Italy, Cyprus, Israel, Egypt and the wider Middle East. Georgios Pratikakis is President of the Hellenic Institute of Marine Technology for 2026 to 2028.

More about what we do
  • 0+newbuild projects
  • 0+major conversions
  • 0smaller projects
  • 0+ships in the archive

Process

From paper to open sea.

NAP ENGINEERING P.C. G.A. · PROFILE SHEET 01 / 12 SCALE 1 : 200
Superfast XI under way

Superfast XI Ro-Pax ferry · Attica Group · featured project

Island Greece runs on ferries, but...

  • A ferry rounding a headland on its way into port

    ...the fleet is ageing.

    Many ships on domestic routes are decades old. Conversions, re-engining and structural renewal keep them in class and in service.

  • Aerial view of a rocky Aegean coast with a small harbour

    ...ports are small and seasonal.

    Narrow entrances, short quays, winter swell and a summer peak five times the winter load. The hull has to fit the route, not the other way round.

  • A red hull on blocks in dry dock

    ...fuel rules are changing.

    Emissions pricing and fuel standards now reach passenger shipping. LNG, hybrid propulsion and shore power are design questions, not afterthoughts.

  • Mountains seen from the open deck of a ferry

    ...passengers expect more.

    Open decks, garages that load fast, cabins and lounges that make a six hour crossing part of the holiday.

Our answer is design that fits the islands.

Scroll to turn the propeller

  1. 01

    Right-size hulls

    Length, draft and manoeuvring sized to the ports a ship will actually call at, with the speed the timetable needs and no more.

  2. 02

    Conversions that add decades

    Lengthening, sponsons, new garages and accommodation, re-engining: structural engineering that gives a proven ship a second life.

  3. 03

    LNG, hybrid and shore power ready

    Fuel systems, tank arrangements and electrical balance designed to current rules, from the first sketch to class approval.

  4. 04

    Hull, propeller and engine sized as one

    A ferry's economy is decided where the water meets the blade. We match hull lines, propeller geometry and engine margin to the route, so the ship burns what the timetable asks and no more.

New building concept

A 145 metre LNG ferry for the Aegean, with approval in principle from Lloyd's Register.

Designed with Helengi Engineering and HydroComp for Blue Star Ferries inside the EU co-funded Poseidon MED II programme, and presented at the Royal Institution of Naval Architects in Rotterdam. Built to Safe Return to Port, the IGF Code and SOLAS.

Aerial view of a ferry hull on the slipway at launch, surrounded by cranes
Launch day. Hull on the ways, tugs standing by.
  • 0mlength overall
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  • 0lane mvehicle capacity
  • 0%less CO₂ than diesel
  • 0%less hull resistance

Featured projects

Ferries, fast craft, cruise ships and refits. Over 80 major conversions and 25 newbuilds since 1978.

From the record

  • 1995 to 2002Newbuild supervision for Minoan Lines at Fincantieri, Samsung and Fosen: Knossos, Festos, Olympia and Europa Palace.
  • 1999 to 2002Festival Cruises newbuilds Mistral, European Vision and European Stars at Chantiers de l'Atlantique.
  • 2011NAP 62, a ro-pax design for Small Cyclades Lines, and the BSF 222 basic design for Blue Star Ferries.
  • DSMEConsulting for two Attica Group ro-pax newbuilds in Korea: Greek flag plan approval and a basic design developed with Blue Star over two years.
  • 2016Amaltheia, an LNG bunker feeder of 1,400 to 2,000 cubic metres, designed with Helengi Engineering and shown at Posidonia.
  • 2026New 70 m and 100 m passenger and vehicle ferries on the board, double-ended vessels under supervision, and production design for the Elefsis Shipyards tug programme.

Services

Integrated design and engineering for shipbuilding projects.

Conceptual, basic and detailed design. Structural design and advanced engineering. One team from the first sketch to sea trials.

A welder working on a hull plate in dry dock
  1. 01

    Ship design and marine engineering

    Conceptual, basic and detailed design. Structural design and advanced engineering.

  2. 02

    Conversions and new building concepts

    Large scale conversion projects, structural engineering and new building concept designs.

  3. 03

    Marine consulting

    Throughout the lifespan of the ship: purchase surveys, charters, class and flag.

  4. 04

    Project management and technical support

    Yard supervision, subcontractor coordination, trials and delivery.

  5. 05

    Fleet management

    Operations monitoring, certification follow up, supplies, reactivation of idle vessels.

  6. 06

    Research and innovation

    EU and national research for the maritime sector, from human factors to energy efficiency.

  7. 07

    Software development

    Calculation tools and applications built around the designs we deliver.

  8. 08

    LNG solutions and casualty investigation

    Technical solutions for liquefied natural gas. Litigation support and casualty investigation.

Research and development

Active in EU and national research for the maritime sector.

  • FAROSFP7, 2012 to 2015, with Brookes Bell. Human factors in risk based design: safe, economic and environmentally friendly concepts for Ro-Pax and tanker vessels.
  • SHOPERAFP7, 2013 to 2016, led by NTUA. Energy efficient, safe ship operation: multi objective optimisation of powering with safety kept whole.
  • Poseidon MED I and IIEU co-funded, 2015 to 2021. LNG as marine fuel in the East Mediterranean. Our 145 m ferry design for Blue Star Ferries came out of it.
  • D-NAVIOHorizon Europe, 2025 to 2028, coordinated by NTUA. We lead the pilot use cases work package.
  • EMSA studyRisk level of damage stability: raking damage from passenger ship groundings under a probabilistic method.
  • ToolsIn-house CAD, CAE and loading software, and the CAFE ship modelling suite, for which we are the reseller in Greece and Cyprus.

Contact

Tell us about the ship, the route and the ports.

We reply within one business day, and we are on call around the clock for the fleets we support.

Office
80 Kolokotroni Street
Piraeus 185 35, Greece
Phone
+30 210 412 7655
+30 210 422 3901
E-mail
nap@nap.gr
Support
24 / 7 for technical and operational problems