Peterhead Lifeboat launched in treacherous conditions last week to rescue a 160-tonne fishing vessel, which was seconds away from crashing into the rocks at Peterhead Breakwater. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has now released a video of the rescue.

The alarm was raised at 4.30 pm on 5 February when a fishing vessel was towing another fishing vessel into Peterhead Harbour and the tow broke numerous times due to the stormy weather conditions.

Tasked by HM Coastguard, the volunteer crew rushed to the Station, launched Peterhead’s Tamar-class lifeboat The Misses Robertson of Kintail and were on scene within minutes. The vessel was dangerously close to crashing into the rocks at Peterhead South Breakwater and due to an easterly gale and significant swell combined with a backwash the conditions were extremely challenging when the lifeboat arrived.

However, the crew established a tow at the first attempt and brought the fishing vessel and its crew back to safety in tough and time critical conditions, saving the five lives onboard.

RNLI Volunteer Crew members

RNLI Volunteer Crew members remain on call 365 days of the year, even in the current lockdown, to man the coasts and waters. This has meant adapting quickly to align with Government guidelines while ensuring they are still ready to respond when the pager sounds.