Ferry diverted due to emergency call

The passenger ferry MV Hamnavoe was diverted yesterday evening, shortly before 7pm, during its crossing from Scrabster to Stromness, due to what is thought to have been a false alarm.

H. M. Coastguard was alerted to an aircraft flying very low over the sea near Melvich Bay, on the north coast of the Scottish Mainland, at around 4.30pm yesterday.

Scrabster and Melvich Coastguard Rescue Teams, Thurso RNLI lifeboat along with the UK Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Inverness were sent to the scene.

After the Coastguard made a relay broadcast, four vessels responded and reported that they had not seen anything in the area.

After a search of the area with nothing found, the Coastguard rescue teams and the helicopter were stood down and the incident is being treated as a false alarm with good intent, possibly attributed to a low-flying military aircraft known to be in the area at the time.