Samudra Pradakshina: On September 11, 2025, Samudra Pradakshina, the world’s first tri-service all-women sailing expedition will start its long journey from the famous Gateway of India in Mumbai. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off the mission through video link and said this voyage shows women’s empowerment, the unity of the Armed Forces. Over the next nine months, the crew will not just sail but also make studies of the sea while covering 26,000 nautical miles around the globe.
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Where will they Travel?
Raksha Mantri virtually flagged-off ‘Samudra Pradakshina’, first ever Tri-service all-women circumnavigation sailing expedition, from Mumbai.
10 women officers will sail onboard IASV Triveni over next 9 months covering approx. 26,000 nautical miles.👉 https://t.co/q5LEtHZ6Lt pic.twitter.com/ESq2cwFfdt
— PRO Defence Mumbai (@DefPROMumbai) September 11, 2025
The team has ten women officers who belong to the Army, Navy, and Air Force. They will travel together on IASV Triveni, which is a 50-foot sailing vessel designed in Puducherry. Their long journey will take them across every major ocean and they will even face some of the toughest seas. The officers will cross the Equator two times, pass the three great Capes called Leeuwin, Horn, and Good Hope, and also go through the very dangerous Southern Ocean and the Drake Passage.
The voyage will stop at Fremantle in Australia, Lyttelton in New Zealand, Port Stanley in Canada, and Cape Town in South Africa. After covering all these places, the crew is expected to come back to Mumbai by May 2026. When they return, India will complete a global journey that very few in the world have done.
Training, Leadership and Purpose
The crew has prepared for this adventure for three long years. They built up their skills slowly, first by doing smaller trips along the western coast of India and later by sailing to Seychelles as a trial run earlier this year. The team is led by Lieutenant Colonel Anuja Varudkar, with Squadron Leader Shraddha P Raju working as her deputy. Both of them are supported by officers from all three defence services.
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The officers will work with the National Institute of Oceanography to collect data on microplastics, to watch and record marine life, and to send a strong message about saving the oceans.
