Caught in a storm and with its engine having failed, fishing boat 'Durgamma' had drifted from Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh all the way to Gopalpur in Odisha when it was spotted by Menon's team in June last year.

Key Highlights Radhika Menon will become the first woman in the world to receive the Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea from the International Maritime Organisation for saving the lives of seven fishermen, whose hopes of survival were all but over.

Menon was at the helm of oil tanker 'Sampurna Swarajya' of Shipping Corporation of India.



New Delhi: Five years ago, Radhika Menon became the first woman to become captain of Indian Merchant Navy and this year, she has become the first woman in the world to receive the Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea from the International Maritime Organisation for saving the lives of seven fishermen, whose hopes of survival were all but over.

Caught in a storm and with its engine having failed, fishing boat 'Durgamma' had drifted from Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh all the way to Gopalpur in Odisha when it was spotted by Menon's team in June last year. The fishermen's families had believed them to be lost at sea and were preparing for their last rites when they received calls about their miraculous rescue.

A native of Kodungallur in Kerala, Menon was at the helm of oil tanker 'Sampurna Swarajya' of Shipping Corporation of India. "I am humbled, honoured and grateful," Menon said in an email. "It is a maritime obligation to save souls in distress at sea and, as a seafarer and master in command of my ship, I just did my duty."

