David Gifford Photography

Airlift from MV Hrossey

Photo: Airlift from MV Hrossey

The MV Hrossey departed Lerwick harbour at midday on Saturday, rather than 7pm as scheduled, due to the approach of Storm Ciara. Viewing from near Sumburgh Head, I noticed the Hrossey quite far out and thought to try some photos of the ship in the rough seas. I was surprised to then see the Coastgaurd helicopter flying towards it and, over a period of around 20 minutes, carry-out an airlift. I don’t know whether this was a training exercise or perhaps a medical evacuation. Either way, no small measure of skill and bravery will have been needed - especially given the conditions.

The photos were taken at long distance and are heavily cropped. After the last photo I checked the position of the ship on AIS. As a rough estimate, I think the distance from my location during the sequence was around 14 to 20 kilometers. By the final photo the ship was just over half-way between Sumburgh Head and Fair Isle.

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Image #1037