Scotland's largest wellboat will arrive next month, says Mowi

A 93-metre wellboat with a well capacity of approximately 6,000 cubic metres will arrive in Scotland next month to start work for the country’s biggest salmon farmer, Mowi.

The vessel will be the third addition to Mowi’s fleet and the largest wellboat operating in Scotland, Mowi Scotland said the September edition of its staff newsletter, The Scoop.

Mowi Scotland said the vessel will be another boost to the company’s freshwater treatment capacity and a vital tool to remove parasites such as sea lice, as well as Neoparamoeba perurans which can cause amoebic gill disease (AGD).

Two wellboats already contracted to Mowi Scotland have proved the value of freshwater treatments for delousing and AGD.

The 72.2-metre Inter Atlantic has a well capacity of 2,200m³ and an FLS Caligus R500 delousing system, and the 76.6-metre Inter Scotia has a well capacity of 2,500m³ and an FLS Caligus R600 delouser. Both wellboats were built by Zamakona Yards Bilbao for Intership, which is now part of Trident Aqua Services, and both have reverse osmosis (RO) systems capable of producing 5,000m³ of desalinated water in 24 hours.

Inter Scotia is a battery hybrid vessel, designed by Salt Ship Design.

The new, larger vessel is understood to have an RO system capable of producing 15,000m³ of desalinated water per 24 hours, and will have a 1,000 kWh battery pack.

Results built on biology

Mowi Scotland has published strong results for the first half of 2025, although the Q2 result was lower than in the same period in 2024 when spot prices were higher. The company said Q2 operating profit of €31.3 million, announced on August 20, was driven by significant improvements in fish biology thanks to strategic shifts and significant investments.

Ben Hadfield, chief operating officer for Mowi Scotland, Ireland, Faroes, and Canada East, told The Scoop: “Our costs decreased from the comparable quarter in 2024 on the back of good biological performance, lower realised feed prices and reductions in other expense items.

“As a farming company we know that focusing on improving fish survival, welfare and product quality will ultimately lead to excellent financial results, and we are now seeing the benefits of this.”