Ministry of Defence
NAVIKA SAGAR PARIKRAMA II INSV TARINI CROSSES POINT NEMO
Posted On:
31 JAN 2025 9:30AM by PIB Delhi
In a remarkable milestone for maritime exploration INSV Tarini, sailed by Lt Cdr Dilna K and Lt Cdr Roopa A of the Indian Navy, successfully crossed Point Nemo, at 0030h (IST) on 30 Jan 25, while sailing from Lyttelton, New Zealand to Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, during the third leg of Navika Sagar Parikram II. Point Nemo, located at coordinates 48°53′S 123°24′W, is the Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility, the most remote location on Earth, situated approximately 2,688 kilometers from the nearest landmass. This isolated point in the South Pacific is famous for its extreme remoteness.
The officers have also collected vital water samples from the point, which will be analysed by the National Institute of Oceanography. These samples will provide valuable insights into oceanic conditions, including the presence of marine biodiversity and chemical composition, contributing to global oceanographic research.
INSV Tarini sailing around the world as part of the quest to become the first team of double-handed circumnavigators from India. The crew were flagged off from Goa on 02 Oct 2024, by Adm Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff. After 39 day traversing the length of the Indian Ocean, the crew reached Fremantle in Australia to a warm reception. Their next leg to Lyttelton Port of Christchurch in New Zealand saw the crew negotiate the Great Australian Bight and the Tasman Sea, braving enormous winds and waves. After another brief halt where the shore team gave the boat a thorough look, the crew sailed out on their quest to round Cape Horn – the Southernmost land before the Antarctic, a point on earth so treacherous that very few have rounded it on sailboats. Their Pacific crossing has already seen them negotiate two cyclones and the incessant cold fronts of the Southern Ocean, inflicting damage to the boat as they pass.
The crew have bravely dealt with the vigorous storms and frustrating calms with equal poise, and after more than 90 days and thousands of miles of sailing, they have passed the remotest part of the earth.
Navika Sagar Parikrama II is a testament to the indomitable spirit of the Indian Navy’s women officers, furthering scientific collaboration and oceanic exploration. The journey continues as the officers progress toward their next port of call at Port Stanley.
The crew are sailing around the earth as part of the Sagar Parikrama expeditions, a long running and highly acclaimed series of expeditions spearheaded by the Indian Navy whose previous editions have produced all of India’s eight sailors to circumnavigate the earth via the Great Capes of the Southern Ocean.
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VM/SKY 24/25
(Release ID: 2098252)
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