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 leads 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 (; also Cranganore, Portuguese: Cranganor; formerly known as Mahodayapuram, Shingly, Vanchi, Muchiri, Muyirikkode, and Muziris) is a historically significant town situated on the banks of river Periyar on the Malabar Coast in Thr ...

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

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

and initially began her career as a radio officer at the

Shipping Corporation of India The Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) is a government corporation that operates and manages vessels servicing both national and international lines. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Shipping, Government of India, with its headquarte ...

Career

After a brief stint with Shipping Corporation of India, she became a prominent cadet of the Indian Navy. In 2012, she was appointed as the captain of the Indian Merchant Navy and became the first ever female captain of the Indian Merchant Navy. In the same year, she took charge as the leader of oil tanker Suvarna Swarajya which weighs about 21, 827 tonne. She was awarded the

International Maritime Organization The International Maritime Organization (IMO, French: ''Organisation maritime internationale'') is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping. The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference ...

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, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between ...

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: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

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 — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

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 serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...

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 Narendra Modi in which he addresses the people of the nation on All India Radio, DD National and DD News. Since the first show on 3 October 2014, there have been 97 epi ...

series.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menon, Radhika Living people Indian Navy officers 21st-century Indian women 21st-century Indian people Year of birth missing (living people)

Early life

Career

See also

References