Fraserburgh RNLI launched after emergency distress signal received

Fraserburgh RNLI's lifeboat with Coxswain Vic Sutherland, mechanic Chay Cumming, and RNLI volunteer crew members Stephen Brown, Gubby Duncan, Lindsay Palmer, Martyn Runcie and Declan Sutherland aboard, took part in an intensive full scale search of the area between New Aberdour Bay and Gamrie along with the local Coastguard search and rescue team and the Coastguard helicopter.

The intensive search was called off after three hours after the UK Coastguard were satisfied that it seemed likely that no person or vessel was in danger and that the unregistered emergency device had somehow been activated accidentally or unknowingly.

Fraserburgh RNLI Coxswain/Mechanic Vic Sutherland said: ‘We’re all concerned for people’s safety when the pagers go off and we are always glad when all is well and that no one is in danger. We were all on full alert for three hours and carried out a thorough search of the area from the sea until being stood down. The coastguard team carried out a thorough search of the coast line from the shore side, and the Coastguard helicopter searched a large area from the air. Although it seems as though the emergency device was accidentally activated we would always much rather launch and search to ensure no one is in danger, than not launch at all.

'It would really help the Coastguard if an EPIRB or similar distress signalling device was registered to a vessel or an individual so that contact could be made much earlier to locate the source and nature of the emergency transmission. We would call on all owners of such devices to make sure they are registered so that if they are ever activated they can be located quickly and would help us save lives at sea.'

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