‘Cam Cougar’ passes Ess-Food Danish bacon lorries at Grimsby Docks 1986.

From the original negative. Photo taken in December 1986.

‘Cam Cougar’ Built as ‘Ross Cougar’ GY.531 in 1957/58 by Cochrane & Sons Ltd., Selby for Derwent Trawlers Ltd., Grimsby, the parent company of Ross Group Ltd. Subsequently, she was owned by Yorkshire Trawlers, G. F. Sleight, Ross Group (again), British United Trawlers and G. F. Sleight (again). ‘Ross Cougar’ GY.531 was the very last side trawler to land a catch at Grimsby (Summer 1985). Cam Shipping Co. Ltd. of Grimsby converted her to an oil rig support ship in 1986. She was the last of the Ross ‘Cat’ boats to be converted.

In June 1992, it was declared by the oil industry that ex-trawlers were no longer suitable as oil rig support vessels and all such vessels were laid-up. In March 1993, ‘Cam Cougar’ was sold to Mohammad Abdelsalam Ossman of Tartous, Syria and registered with Fayza Shipping Co. Ltd., Limassol Cyprus. She was renamed ‘Omar’. In October 1992, her Grimsby registration was closed. ‘Omar’ was still in service in 2015 and possibly beyond.

The ‘Ross Cougar’ was one of the famous ‘Cat Boats’ i.e. ‘Ross Tiger’ (GY.398), ‘Ross Leopard’ (GY.491), ‘Ross Jaguar’ (GY.494), ‘Ross Panther’ (GY.519), ‘Ross Cougar’ (GY.531), ‘Ross Cheetah’ (GY.614), ‘Ross Lynx’ (GY.626), ‘Ross Jackal’ (GY.637), ‘Ross Puma’ (GY.646) [lost in 1968], ‘Ross Genet’ (GY.650), ‘Ross Civet’ (GY.652), ‘Ross Zebra’ (GY.653). They were named by Grimsby schoolchildren. ‘Ross Zebra’ must’ve been them having some fun with the process! All but ‘Ross Puma’ GY646 were sold to Cam shipping who still operated them out of the port as oil rig support ships. Their hulls were painted orange and they had blue funnels with the Cam Shipping logo in white.