KOCHI: Radhika Menon, captain of oil tanker ‘Sampurna Swarajya’ and the first Indian woman captain in Merchant Navy, has been selected for the International Maritime Organisation Award-2016 for Exceptional Bravery at Sea.
Radhika has been chosen for the award in recognition of the role she played in rescuing seven Indian fishermen from a sinking fishing boat. She is the first woman to win the award, which will be presented by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) at a function to be held in London on November 21.
“Captain Menon displayed great determination and courage in leading the difficult rescue operation in the Bay of Bengal in June last year,” says a member of the IMO.
Speaking from her ship in Mumbai, a thrilled Radhika says, “the news has not yet yet sunk in. To be honest, I was not trying to win any award when I initiated the rescue operation. Instead, I considered it my duty. But, yes, the recognition from the IMO is memorable, and I am humbled and honoured.”
Incidentally, this is her second maritime award. On April 5, the National Maritime Day, the National Maritime Day Celebration Committee of India had conferred the ‘Seafarers Gallantry Award’ on Radhika.
Rescue mission
The rescue mission that fetched her the IMO honour took place on June 22, 2015, at noon, after Second Officer Manoj Chauhan noticed a boat two-and-half km off the Gopalpur coast in Odisha.
Owing to a deep depression, there was a fierce winds and rain. The wind speed was 60-70 knots, and the waves were rising up to 25-27 feet. The boat was being tossed up and down by the strong waves. Manoj informed the matter to Radhika. “When I looked through my binoculars, the men were waving their shirts and asking for help,” says Radhika, a native of Kodungallur, who immediately ordered a rescue operation.
Because of the turbulent sea, it took three attempts before all the seven fishermen were rescued. The condition of the fishermen, from 15-year-old Perla Mahesh to 50-year-old Narasimha Murthy, was very bad.
They were weak, starving and frightened as their food and water had been washed away. They survived by sucking on ice cubes from the cold storage used for preserving fish.