The wellboat 'Inter Alba' decorated for its naming ceremony in the port of Ullapool, Scotland.
Photo: Trident Aqua Services.
Ullapool, a village and port located in the county of Ross and Cromarty, Scottish Highlands, was the scene last Saturday of the naming ceremony of 'Inter Alba'. Already in operation for Mowi Scotland, the vessel of the Norwegian company Trident Aqua Services is Scotland's largest wellboat.
In a ceremony that brought together crew members, clients, suppliers, media, and representatives of the local community in Ullapool, it was precisely Kerry Hadfield, wife of Ben Hadfield, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Mowi Scotland, who acted as the vessel's godmother. The celebration in port was followed by a dinner in Inverness.
"This is the first of several naming ceremonies we will be hosting this year, and we have been looking forward to this day for a long time. It means a lot to us to mark an important milestone together with our crew, partners, and not least our customer," stated Arild Aasmyr, CEO of Trident Aqua Services.
"'Inter Alba' is a vessel we are proud to have delivered, and we are pleased that she is now in operation for Mowi Scotland," he continued, adding that many people, both within Trident Aqua Services and among its suppliers, have made significant efforts to realize this project.
For his part, the COO of Mowi Scotland highlighted the importance of modern wellboat capacity. "'Inter Alba' represents an important step forward in fish welfare and biosecurity," he said.
"For us, it is crucial to collaborate with shipowners who invest in forward-looking technology and sustainable, efficient solutions. This type of vessel provides us with increased flexibility and reliability in our production, and we look forward to continuing the cooperation," Ben Hadfield added.
The godmother of 'Inter Alba' was Kerry Hadfield, spouse of Ben Hadfield, COO of Mowi Scotland.
Photo: Trident Aqua Services.
Designed by Salt Ship Design AS and delivered from Sefine Shipyard in December 2025, 'Inter Alba' is the first of Trident Aqua Services' two newbuilds from this shipyard—the company currently has more orders underway at the Basque shipyard Zamakona and the Norwegian Sletta Verft—and is considered one of the largest and most modern wellboats on the market.
Specifically, 'Inter Alba' is a battery-hybrid vessel with a cargo capacity of 6,500 m³, which has been developed with particular emphasis on gentle fish handling, high biosecurity, and technology that contributes to strong fish welfare.
The fish-handling system was supplied by MMC First Process, and the vessel is equipped with a large freshwater production plant capable of producing 15,000 m³ of freshwater within 24 hours, produced from seawater using reverse osmosis, thanks to a large-scale reverse osmosis plant supplied by Peter Taboada.
As mentioned above, the 93-meter live fish carrier already entered service and, as WeAreAquaculture reported, it completed its first period of work last February, carrying out a combined treatment with freshwater and FLS for Mowi Scotland.
Now, in its release on the naming ceremony of 'Inter Alba', Trident Aqua Services highlighted that, with the wellboat in operation for Mowi Scotland, an important milestone has been reached in the company's newbuild program, while also strengthening its presence in the Scottish market.
Formed in 2025 through the merger of leading maritime service providers AquaShip, Intership and FSV Group, Trident Aqua Services is currently the world's largest supplier of vessel services for the aquaculture industry. With a modern and diversified fleet of 63 vessels in service and 6 additional vessels currently under construction, it is supported by approximately 1,000 employees.
