Captain Radhika Menon, who is the first female merchant navy officer of India, also became the first woman to be awarded an award by the IMO for showing utmost bravery in rescuing seven fishermen from a sinking boat in Bay of Bengal last year. She was awarded the medal and certificate of commendation at a ceremony at the International Maritime Organization headquarters.
Ms Menon was in charge of the vessel when a fishing boat called ‘Durgamma’ went adrift after engine failure. The men on the boat had no food left and were surviving on some ice. . Ms Menon ordered their rescue though waves higher than 25 feet and winds of more than 60 knots in June 2015. After three attempts, all seven starving fishermen aged between 15 and 50 were rescued successfully with the help of pilot ladder, lifejackets and buoys.
Ms Menon was nominated by the Indian government for this award.
