Lifeboats busy in 2016

SHETLAND’s two lifeboats were called out a 25 times in 2016. The Lerwick crew were dispatched on 15 occasions while the Aith team were sent out ten times in what was a fairly standard year for call-outs.

The busiest RNLI station in Scotland in 2016 was Broughty Ferry with 92 shouts, while the Tower station in London was the most used in the UK with 512 calls.

The RNLI hopes that publishing these figures encourage more people to stay safe when at sea by wearing a lifejacket, checking their vessel and keeping aware of tide times.

People are also reminded that they should call 999 and ask for the coastguard in the event of an emergency.

Will Stephens, the RNLI’s head of lifesaving, commented: “Once again we are extremely grateful for the dedication shown by our lifesavers. Our volunteer lifeboat crews spent over 228,869 hours at sea last year, but we really do see our rescue service as a last resort.

“We’d really like to see people paying more attention to safety messages and giving the water the healthy respect it deserves. While we will always answer the call for help, I and everyone within the RNLI would like to see people staying safer at the coast.”