Radhika Menon is an Indian female Merchant Navy officer currently serving as the captain of the Indian Merchant Navy. She is also the first female captain of the Indian Merchant Navy who also led the oil products tanker Suvarna Swarajya. In 2016, Radhika also became the first woman to receive the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea. She is well known for her rescue operation which she conducted successfully in June 2015 saving seven fishermen who were trapped for a week in a boat.

Early life

She was born and raised in

Kodungallur Kodungallur (; formerly also called as Cranganore (anglicised name), Portuguese language, Portuguese: Cranganor; Mahodayapuram, Shingly, Vanchi, Muchiri, Muyirikkode, and Muziris) is a historically significant town situated on the banks of Per ...

of Kerala. She completed a radio course at the All India Marine College in

Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...

and initially began her career as a radio officer at the

Shipping Corporation of India The Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) is a public sector undertaking that operates and manages vessels servicing both national and international lines. It is under the ownership of the Government of India and under administrative control of ...

Career

After a brief stint with Shipping Corporation of India, she became a prominent cadet of the Indian merchant Navy. In 2012, she was appointed as the captain of SCI ship in Indian Merchant Navy and became the first ever female captain of the Indian Merchant Navy. In the same year, she took charge as the captain of the oil tanker ''Suvarna Swarajya'', measuring 21,827

gross tons Gross tonnage (GT, G.T. or gt) is a nonlinear measure of a ship's overall internal volume. Gross tonnage is different from gross register tonnage. Neither gross tonnage nor gross register tonnage should be confused with measures of mass or weig ...

. She was awarded the

International Maritime Organization The International Maritime Organization (IMO; ; ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating maritime transport. The IMO was established following agreement at a ...

Award in November 2016 for her successful courageous rescue operation which she led from the front in June 2015 rescuing seven fishermen who were trapped at the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region. Many South Asian and Southe ...

in a sinking boat which capsized due to engine failure and breakdown of the boat's anchor as a result of a sea storm. The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

nominated her for the relevant award recognising her national duty and also notably became the first woman to receive the IMO Bravery award. Radhika also co-founded the International Women Seafarer's Foundation (IWSF) on 3 November 2017 along with fellow naval officers Suneeti Bala and Sharvani Mishra in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

with the objective of motivating young women seafarers. On 29 September 2019, she was honored by the Indian government as she featured in Bharat Ki Laxmi hashtag campaign which was introduced by the Indian Prime Minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

to celebrate the achievements of the Indian women as a part of the

Mann Ki Baat ''Mann Ki Baat'' (, ) is an Indian radio programme hosted by Prime Minister of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which he addresses Indians on All India Radio, DD National and DD News. Since the first show on 3 October 2014, there have be ...

series.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menon, Radhika Living people 21st-century Indian women 21st-century Indian people Year of birth missing (living people) Nari Shakti Puraskar winners

Early life

Career

See also

References