A fisherman has been airlifted to hospital after suffering a stroke on board a boat eight miles off the coast of Macduff.
Emergency services rushed to the aid of the fisherman after the alarm was raised at 6.40am yesterday.
Lifeboat crews from Fraserburgh and Macduff were joined by coastguards and the Inverness Coastguard helicopter.
After they arrived, the stricken fisherman was given oxygen before being taken by helicopter in a stable condition to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
The crew aboard the vessel planned to return to shore following the incident.
The call out was the first both Fraserbrugh and Macduff RNLI teams had been tasked with so far this year.
Fraserburgh lifeboat coxswain Vic Sutherland said: “As the first call out of the year we’re hoping this one will have a positive outcome.
“We don’t know what condition the casualty is in now but hopefully he will have made a good recovery.
“We were paged along with Macduff lifeboat at 6.45am to a report of a suspected stroke on board a fishing vessel eight miles north-east of Macduff Harbour.
“Once we sailed from Fraserburgh, there was an update that the rescue helicopter was on its way.
“We had 15 miles to cover.
“When we arrived we helped save the casualty and were confident he had indeed had a stroke.
“The Macduff lifeboat (crew) had arrived and started working with the casualty and gave him oxygen, they were happy he was improving from the first report.
“But that’s the last we heard so hopefully he makes a good recovery.”
Banffshire and Buchan Coast MSP Stewart Stevenson praised the services for their timely reactions to such incidents.
He said: “I am pleased there was such a quick response to the incident.
“All of us rely on the hard work and dedication of the coastguard and emergency services.
“This incident is a stark reminder of just how important these services, and the people who work for them are to helping people in time of need.”