Lifeboat crews were scrambled off the shores of Unst this morning following reports of a vessel in distress.
RNLI Lerwick volunteers were tasked with the rescue at around 11.45am after coastguard teams received an emergency beacon alert.
The signal – also known as Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) – was activated around 20 nautical miles south-east of the Shetland island.
This normally indicates the vessel or somebody on board is in distress.
Within 10 minutes of receiving the emergency page, the severn-class lifeboat was launched from Lerwick harbour and headed north to Unst to seek the sailors.
But soon after, the crew was notified that the EPIRB was a false alarm and the vessel to which the beacon was registered was actually safe and well.
The lifeboat returned to harbour at 12.15pm to return to station and refuel.
‘Emergency beacons can save lives’
Lerwick lifeboat coxswain Stephen Manson, who has been leading the team since last April, urged those heading out to sea to equip their vessel with an emergency beacon.
He said: “Our volunteer crew are always ready to respond to any call to launch and we’re glad that there was no one in distress on this occasion.
“Emergency beacons can quickly direct a search and rescue operation to the exact location of any incident. We’d encourage any boat owners to check the service status and registration details of any beacons on board.
“And if they don’t have a beacon, they should consider getting one – emergency beacons at sea can save lives.”
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