RNLI in Scotland displays saving lives at sea methods for international visitors
RNLI in Scotland displays saving lives at sea methods for international visitors
Lifeboats News Release
International search and rescue experts were treated to a tour of Scottish lifeboat stations to learn about the RNLI’s approach to saving lives at sea.
A total of eight representatives from the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) in Iceland, Norway, France, Australia, Sweden, Netherlands, Finland and Poland visited Scotland.
Their purpose was to share knowledge in search and rescue techniques and to learn from the RNLI which has been saving lives at sea for more than 200 years.
The lifeboat stations at Oban, Tobermory, Loch Ness, Kessock, Fraserburgh, Aberdeen and Anstruther staged a variety of events including lifeboat and lifeguard exercises and brought in HM Coastguard to share expertise.
Tobermory’s RNLI coxswain David McHaffie said: ‘We had a great day hosting the international delegates and learning about search and rescue operations in their different countries. In the morning, the Tobermory lifeboat passaged to Oban and met with our visitors and the Oban crew.
‘After a briefing, the delegates were split between the Oban Shannon class lifeboat and the Tobermory Severn class lifeboat for a joint exercise. We did some slow speed transfers with the Loch Frisa ferry, undertook man overboard drills, visited the port of Lochaline and then the delegates took the helm into Tobermory.
‘After a crew swap between the two boats, we took to more open waters and had a choppy passage to Ardnamurchan Lighthouse, spotting dolphins and diving gannets on the way.
‘Later at the station, the visitors were welcomed with a buffet and enjoyed meeting our fundraising volunteers, and representatives from Police Scotland and Tobermory Coastguard Rescue Team.
‘The evening was rounded off with a presentation about Tobermory RNLI and rural search and rescue operations. The delegates really enjoyed experiencing two different classes of lifeboat, meeting the volunteers and learning more about our search and rescue operations on the west coast of Scotland.’
In Fraserburgh their trip included a guided tour of one of the port’s huge pelagic fishing vessels. A barbecue, where they met the RNLI volunteers from Fraserburgh and Peterhead, was followed by a briefing, a joint exercise and a return to port and debriefing.
The IMRF has nearly 140 members in more than 50 countries with the RNLI playing an instrumental role in its history by inviting representatives from countries with a lifeboat service to attend the first International Lifeboat Conference, which took place in London in 1924.
RNLI media contacts:
Richard Smith, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Scotland, 07826 900639, [email protected]
Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for Scotland, 07920 365929, [email protected]
The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.
