Scotland’s Small-Ship Cruises Open Up Remote Coastline

A little-known maritime rule has helped reshape cruising around Scotland, allowing small vessels carrying no more than 12 passengers to reach remote islands, sea lochs and coastal communities beyond the range of large cruise ships.

Under Scottish maritime regulations, vessels with up to 12 passengers are not treated in the same way as full-scale cruise ships.

That has allowed operators to convert former fishing boats and rescue vessels into compact, comfortable cruising vessels with lower operating costs and greater access to narrow waterways, sheltered anchorages and small harbours.

The movement began in the 1990s, when skipper Rob Barlow and his family launched Hebrides Cruises from Oban.

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