A rescue mission which saw CalMac’s largest ferry pressed into action turned out to be a false alarm.
The MV Loch Seaforth was operating the route between Ullapool and Stornoway when it was called to assist by the coastguard after receiving a mayday call.
Crews at RNLI Stornoway Lifeboat Station also responded to the alert on Tuesday night, as did other vessels in the area around the Minch, off the Eye Peninsula.
The rescue was launched after the activation of a Search and Rescue Transponder ‘Sart’ was detected in the area.
But it was later confirmed to be a “spurious” signal, with no vessels in distress found in the area.
A spokesperson for HM Coastguard said this morning that once the emergency alert was triggered it was mandatory to check it out.
They said: “There was a SART activation and the ferry picked up the signal and went to respond along with other vessels, the lifeboat and a helicopter.
“Nothing was found in the area and we believe if was a ‘spurious’ activation.”
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CalMac took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to alert customers that the MV Loch Seaforth would be late in arriving into Stornoway due to the incident.
The post read: "Due to MV Loch Seaforth assisting the coastguard, the 20:10 arrival into Stornoway is currently delayed.
"A further update will be provided once more information is available."
⚠️YELLOW #Stornoway #Ullapool 06Aug Due to MV Loch Seaforth assisting the coastguard, the 20:10 arrival into Stornoway is currently delayed.
— CalMac Service Info (@CalMac_Updates) August 6, 2024
A further update will be provided once more information is available.
Data from vessel tracking website Marine Traffic indicates that MV Loch Seaforth arrived in Stornoway at around 9:40pm.
Last night, a spokesperson for HM Coastguard confirmed to The Herald that an HM Coastguard helicopter was sent to the scene, alongside the Stornoway RNLI.
They said: "HM Coastguard was alerted to a radar emergency Search and Rescue Transponder (SART) received by a nearby vessel in The Minch off the Eye Peninsula.
"The alert was raised just after 7.30pm on 6 August.”
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