Looking Back: All-Scottish wellboat is launched

The official naming ceremony for the first completely Scottish-owned and built wellboat was a significant event for the home salmon industry in October 1997.

The MV Crear was the first wellboat to be owned by Knapdale Shipping (Campbeltown) Ltd, a joint venture between Lithgows Ltd and J&A Gardner and Co Ltd.

Fish Farmer reported: “Miss Kate Lithgow, daughter of Sir William Lithgow, officiated at the ceremony, which took place at The Marine Resource Centre, Barcaldine, near Oban, which will provide berthing facilities for the vessel.

“Crear will undertake salmon transportation and dry cargo services to both Scotland and Ireland. With a total well capacity of 330 cu.m in two compartments she can handle 180.000 smolts or 55,000 tonnes of live, market-sized salmon. Alternatively, the wells will accommodate 70 tonnes of fish feed in a single layer, with capacity for another 45 tonnes on deck.”

As it turned out, Crear - which is no longer in service - was not destined to be the first in a line of Scottish wellboats, and remains the only one of its kind to be built. Lithgows, a family-owned company, continues to operate the Barcaldine Marine Resources Centre, but the Buckie shipyard, where the Crear was built, went into administration in 2013.