India’s First Female Merchant Navy Captain Honoured By UN Agency For Exceptional Bravery At Sea

Captain Radhika Menon, the first woman captain in the Indian Merchant Navy, has been honoured by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for her exceptional bravery in the dramatic rescue of seven fishermen from a sinking fishing boat in Bay of Bengal. She is not only the first Indian woman to have received the award, but also the only woman in the world to have been conferred the honour.

Captain Menon received her medal and certificate of commendation at an awards ceremony held at the IMO headquarters in London. She was nominated by the Government of India.

The fishermen were left stranded in dangerous waters after their ship’s engine failed off the coast of Andhra Pradesh in June last year. Captain Menon led the mission to bring the fishermen out of the sinking boat and back to safety on board. It took three arduous attempts in the lashing wind and rain before all seven fishermen, aged from 15 to 50 years old, were rescued. Their families had already considered them to be lost at sea, but thanks to the rescue, led by Captain Menon, they were reunited with their loved ones a few days later.

IMO is a United Nations specialised agency which is responsible for the safety of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships. The IMO award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea was started in 2007. It is an annual award given to persons who perform acts of exceptional bravery and courage “in attempting to save life at sea or in attempting to prevent or mitigate damage to the marine environment,” often risking their own lives.

Another Indian to receive a commendation during the ceremony in London was B M Das, a winch operator and diver of the rescue helicopter CG 822 at the Indian Coast Guard Air Station in Daman. He was awarded for rescuing all 14 crew members of the merchant ship ‘Coastal Pride’, which capsized and eventually sank.

Interestingly, the name of the oil tanker that Captain Menon commands is Sampurna Swarajya.

With inputs from Press Information Bureau