DDD

Mayday relay broadcasts were sent from the Coastguard asking shipping workers to keep a "sharp lookout" for anything that may have sent the initial distress call.

Past exercises were conducted for better coordination of resources between Taiwan and China in simulated rescue operations in the event of vessels in distress, involving mayday relay, emergency communications, search and rescue, medical referral, firefighting effort, and other operations.

More than 30 vessels responded to Aberdeen Coastguard Mayday relay broadcasts to rush to the scene, with RNLI lifeboats from Fraserburgh and Peterhead and a search and rescue helicopter from Inverness mobilised.

"We immediately issued a Mayday relay broadcast to all vessels in the area.

A mayday relay was also sent out to all boats and vessels in the area asking them to join the search.

A mayday relay broadcast was issued to all nearby vessels to join the search.

The coastguard also broadcast mayday relay messages, urgently asking other ships in the area to look out for the missing crew, who were all male.

The Isle of Inishmore passenger ferry, en route to Rosslare from Pembroke Dock, also heard a mayday relay call and, altering her course, used powerful lights to assist the search for the boat.

"Since then, the Coastguard have been trying to contact the skipper and have also been broadcasting mayday relay messages which have been requesting all shipping to look out for the missing crew."