PM Narendra Modi with the Indian Navy officers who will sail around the globe
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met six officers of the Indian Navy who will sail around the world in India's first attempt to circumnavigate the globe by an all-women crew.
The crew of the sailing vessel INSV Tarini explained the journey's plan to PM Modi, who after wishing them success said he will track their progress.
"He exhorted them to project India's capabilities and strengths across the world and also encouraged them to write and share their experiences after the successful completion of the voyage," the government said in a statement.
The six Indian Navy officers will begin the sea journey later this month from Goa; they expect to return to the coastal state in March 2018, the statement said.
The expedition has been named Navika Sagar Parikrama. The crew will stop at four ports - Fremantle (Australia), Lyttleton (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falklands), and Cape Town (South Africa).
"INSV Tarini is a 55-foot sailing vessel, which has been built indigenously, and was inducted in the Indian Navy earlier this year," the statement said.
The vessel will be captained by Lt. Commander Vartika Joshi, and the crew comprises Lt. Commander Pratibha Jamwal, Lt. Commander P Swathi, Lieutenant S Vijaya Devi, Lieutenant B Aishwarya and Lieutenant Payal Gupta, the statement said.