Six women officers of the Indian Navy are all set to go on a voyage around the world, making them the first all-women military circumnavigation crew to set out on an over 21,600 nautical miles' expedition. The team will leave in the first week of September and spend eight months at sea.
The officers will set sail in INSV Tarini from Goa with four halts at Freemantle (Australia), Lyttleton (New Zealand) Port Stanley (Falklands) and Cape Town (South Africa) before returning to Goa in May 2018, completing the mission named Navika Sagar Parikrama.
Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi is the skipper of the crew that also includes Lieutenant Commanders Pratibha Jamwal and P Swathi and Lieutenants S Vijaya Devi, B Aishwarya and Payal Gupta.
The officers are also the first all-women Asian team to attempt a circumnavigation. Th efeat has certain qualification criteria such as starting and finishing at the same port, not passing through any canals or straits, crossing all meridians at least once, crossing the equator twice, going around the three great capes; Cape Leeuvin, Cape Horn and Cape of Good Hope.
For the gruelling journey, the crew will stock ration and also carry sources for entertainment. They will need 600 litres of water and an reverse osmosis plant on board can provide them 30 litres per hour.
Skipper of the crew, Joshi said they will not be taking routes that are pirate infested and that all measures for safety and security will be taken. "We will be sailing in the roughest waters at some places. There is safety equipment onboard and we have been trained to deal with situations," she said.
The six women officers were picked from 20 volunteers who started training in 2014.
Earlier Indian Navy officer Captain Dilip Donde (retd) and Commander Abhilash Tomy did a solo circumnavigation. Tomy completed a non-stop trip in five months.
The Indian Navy will also track the voyage to ensure their safety. Vice Admiral Anil Chawal, Navy's Chief of Personnel said. "Search and assistance regions in different countries have been informed. Whenever possible we will also send an aircraft to say hello to them," he said.
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