Captain Radhika Menon was the first female captain in the Indian Merchant Navy, and now she will be the first female captain to receive the International Maritime Organization’s Exceptional Bravery at Sea award for rescuing seven fishermen stranded at sea.
Engine failure and a loss of an anchor during tumultuous weather stranded the men in the Bay of Bengal during June of last year. Menon’s second officer spotted the fishing ship in 25-foot waves and through 60-knot winds and, with the assistance of her fellow crew, Menon was able to save all of the people on board, according to an IMO report.
The fishermen, ranging in age from 15 to 50 years old, had lost their food supplies overboard forcing them to live off of ice chips from the cold storage.
Menon will receive her award on November 21 during a ceremony at the IMO headquarters in London.
