Video: Tanker which sparked emergency call gets close to coast

A concerned member of the public called the coastguard after seeing what looked like a vessel in trouble near Seafield this morning.

One witness said that the tanker, caught up in the high winds, was around 500m from shore and listing heavily to one side.

The witness said that the tanker, thought to be the Essex, was close enough that crew members were visible on deck.

However, a spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said that the tanker's anchor had been dragging slightly but it was not in danger.

"Just after 7.30 this morning, we got a call from the member of the public about the vessel, which was one mile east of Kirkcaldy.

"Obviously this person was on shore and was concerned from what they were seeing, and did absolutely the right thing to call us.

"We made contact with the tanker straight away and they said that they were proceeding to anchorage and that the anchor was dragging slightly but they were in good working condition, all safe and well, and they weren't in any difficulty at all, and they were moving to a different anchorage.

"That incident closed down and 9.40am and we were in touch with them until then.

"We've put that incident down as a false alarm with good intent, but the caller did exactly the right thing to call us."