Indian Navy women officers Lt Cdr Dilna K. (right), and Lt Cdr Roopa A. pose after the INSV Tarini enters Cape Town, South Africa, completing the fourth leg of the Navika Sagar Parikrama II expedition, April 1, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini, crewed by women officers Lt Cdr Dilna K. and Lt Cdr Roopa A., arrived at Cape Town, South Africa, on Monday, marking the fourth and final stopover in their global circumnavigation expedition, Navika Sagar Parikrama II.
The vessel and crew were received at the Royal Cape Yacht Club by Ruby Jaspreet, Consul General of India in Cape Town; Rear Admiral (JG) Lisa Hendricks, Chief of Staff, South African Navy Fleet; and Captain Atul Sapahia, the Defence Adviser of India based in Pretoria. A South African naval band performed to welcome the vessel.
According to a statement from the Indian Navy, INSV Tarini will remain docked at the yacht club for approximately two weeks for scheduled maintenance and repairs. “The crew of the vessel will engage and interact with the South African Navy at Simon’s Town Naval Base and Gordon’s Bay Naval College. Community outreach events are also planned during their stay,” the Navy stated. The vessel is scheduled to depart Cape Town on April 15 for its final leg back to India.
The Navika Sagar Parikrama II expedition was flagged off from Goa by Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, on October 2, 2024. The mission aims to cover more than 23,400 nautical miles (approximately 43,300 kilometres) over roughly eight months, sailing across three oceans and rounding three challenging Capes. Prior to Cape Town, INSV Tarini called at Fremantle, Australia; Lyttelton, New Zealand; and Port Stanley, Falkland Islands (UK). The expedition is scheduled to conclude upon return to Goa in May 2025.
The voyage from Port Stanley, which commenced on March 6, and the preceding legs have presented significant challenges. The Navy statement highlighted that “the vessel and the crew having encountered rough seas and extremely cold temperature coupled with stormy weather conditions, made the task of circumnavigation highly challenging and demanding.” It noted that the passage so far witnessed winds exceeding 50 knots (93 km/h) and waves up to seven metres (23 feet) high.
INSV Tarini is an indigenously built, 56-foot sailing vessel commissioned into the Indian Navy in February 2017 and has undertaken several such expeditions previously.
This port call adds to recent interactions between the Indian and South African Navies. In October 2024, INS Talwar participated in the 8th edition of Exercise IBSAMAR off the South African coast, and in January 2025, the stealth frigate INS Tushil made a port call at Durban.
Published – April 02, 2025 03:40 am IST