PANAJI
Speaking ahead of the flagging off of the voyage called Navika Sagar Parikrama, newly appointed Defence Minister said the occasion was historic and wished the all-women crew luck on their journey.
"Just eight days after my swearing in as Raksha Mantri, not really something which can happen frequently, for me to come and to flag off an all women Crew doing circumnavigation of the globe, is something I can't describe in words. I'm indeed honoured and it's a great pleasure to be here. It's an opportunity which no one can easily get to be among these great and inspired and very motivated women," Sitharaman said at the flagging off.
"This is a historic day for the country, which will be marked in the navigation history of the world, and globally our women are going to stand out for something which most navies of the world would not have even thought of. For this initiative I appreciate the Indian Navy and the mentors for inspiring, motivating and training these brave and courageous women," Sitharaman added.
The trip by the navy women is the first-ever attempted Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-women crew and shall attempt to circumnavigate the globe on Indian Navy's sailing vessel, Tarini.
INSV Tarini is skippered by Lt Commander Vartika Joshi, and the crew comprises Lt Commanders Pratibha Jamwal, P Swathi, and Lieutenants S Vijaya Devi, B Aishwarya and Payal Gupta.
The crew is expected to return to Goa in April 2018, on completion of the voyage. The expedition will be covered in five legs, with stopovers at 4 ports viz. Fremantle (Australia), Lyttelton (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falklands), and Cape Town (South Africa).
The Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba expressed satisfaction at continuation of the legacy of Indian Navy's Ocean sailing expeditions which commenced in 1988 with expedition ‘Samudra'. This was followed by first solo circumnavigation by Captain Dilip Donde (Retd) and non-stop circumnavigation of the globe by Cdr Abhilash Tomy resulting in India joining a select group of nine nations which have achieved such feats. He said that the present circumnavigation by an all women crew is an extension of the above efforts and reflection of the Government's efforts at Women Empowerment - "Nari Shakti".
During the voyage, the crew would monitor and report marine pollution on the high seas, as also interact extensively with local PIOs during various port halts to promote ocean sailing. During their voyage, the crew would also collate and update Meteorological ocean wave data on a regular basis for accurate weather forecast by India Meteorological Department (IMD) and subsequent analysis by research and development organisations.
