Kirkwall RNLI respond to EPIRB activation on fishing vessel
Kirkwall's volunteer crew launch in search after EPIRB signal reported from fishing vessel 5 nautical miles NW from station.
With five crew onboard the lifeboat arrived on scene a short time later and commenced a search of the area where the EPIRB signal was showing to be coming from, visual searches and the VHF direction finder onboard the lifeboat were both used and shortly after the EPIRB was located by the lifeboat crew floating on the surface.
Contact was made with the fishing vessel via Shetland Coastguard and once the crew reported all were safe and that they must have lost the EPIRB overboard during passage the lifeboat headed towards the position of the fishing vessel and returned the EPIRB to the crew whom were very grateful for the quick response and help during this incident.
The lifeboat was stood down and returned to station 1110am and was refuelled and made ready for service again by 1130.
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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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