The Vaila Marie is launched. It is the first of two catamaran workboats ordered by Cooke. Photo: Chris Cope / Shetland News

Cooke catamaran launched in Shetland

Cooke Aquaculture Scotland has launched the first of two workboats being built by Shetland company Malakoff Limited in Lerwick.

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The Vaila Marie is a 14m x 7m catamaran that will be used at Cooke’s Walls and Aith sites for various duties around the farms including day to day use and heavier mooring work.

In a post on Cooke’s website, David Brown, from the firm’s regional headquarters in Shetland, said: “We are delighted to launch the Vaila Marie. She has been designed and built to a very high standard. It is very pleasing that the work has been done in Shetland and we thank Malakoff Limited for all their efforts throughout the building project. We are very happy with the boat and they should be proud of the result.”

Malakoff project manager Ryan Stevenson told the Shetland News website the boat was designed in-house.

"It's based on some of the other boats that we've done before," he said.

"It's probably a design upgrade - it's bigger, it's got more capacity and it's got a bigger crane on it.

"It's been a good development for us and it's good to keep this kind of work inside Shetland."