INSV Tarini Enters Fremantle, Australia

INSV Tarini entered Fremantle, Australia on October 23 as part of its maiden voyage to circumnavigate the globe. Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman had flagged-off INSV Tarini from Goa on 10 September 2017. The vessel has covered about 4,800 nautical miles since flagging off and crossed the Equator on 25 September 2017 and the Tropic of Capricorn on 6 October 2017.

This is the first-ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-women crew. The vessel is skippered by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi, and the crew comprises Lieutenant Commanders Pratibha Jamwal, P Swathi, and Lieutenants S Vijaya Devi, B Aishwarya and Payal Gupta. The expedition titled ‘Navika Sagar Parikrama’ is in consonance with the national policy to empower women to attain their full potential. It also aims to showcase ‘Nari Shakti’ on the world platform and help revolutionise societal attitudes and mind-set towards women in India by raising visibility of their participation in challenging environs.

The indigenously-built INSV Tarini showcases the ‘Make in India’ initiative in the international forum. The crew has also been collating and updating meteorological, ocean and wave data regularly for accurate weather forecast by India Meteorological Department, as also monitoring marine pollution on the high seas. As part of their stay in harbour the crew will interact with the local populace, especially children, to promote ocean sailing and the spirit of adventure.