She is the first woman officer from Odisha aboard a shipping vessel. The 28-year-old marine engineer of Cuttack, Bibhusita Das, however, doesn’t hail from a family of mariners or has any link with the marine sector. Yet, it’s her determination that made her choose the off-the-beaten path.
She arrived at Paradip Port with her vessel - a coke-carrier ship mv Biswa Mahala - from Australia on Friday and was felicitated by the Paradip Port Trust. Bibhusita was the only woman among the 26-member crew. An alumnus of CV Raman College of Engineering, Bhubaneswar, Bibhusita said she got the job of a third engineer last year in Shipping Corporation of India and opted for onboard sailing. However, the ship’s chief engineer wasn’t very happy with Bibhusita’s decision. “I got seasickness and the crew thought I wasn’t fit for this job. But I was determined to stay and proved them wrong,” she said, adding, “It was my father Karunakar Das - a BSNL employee - who inspired me to join SCI.” Even as a child, the girl loved reading stories about sea voyages.
“We are four sisters and I am the youngest. Our parents have always been very supportive of our endeavours,” she said. Her first trip on a ship was from Haldia to Vizag and she had to initially face difficulty as there were no women aboard. “But today, everything has changed. The crew members were supportive,” Bibhusita added. “Once the chief engineer of our ship told me that I have brought about positive changes in the engine room. He said when I am around, the men of the ship tend to behave decently and do not fight or abuse each other,” she smiled.