Samudra Pradakshina: All-Women Tri-Service Crew Completes World's First Such Circumnavigation
Nine women officers of India's three armed forces returned to Mumbai on 22 July 2026 after completing Samudra Pradakshina, described as the world's first tri-services all-women circumnavigation sailing expedition. Sailing aboard the Indian Army Sailing Vessel (IASV) Triveni, a 50-foot boat built at Puducherry, the crew covered nearly 25,500 nautical miles across four oceans over 314 days, having set out from Mumbai on 11 September 2025. The voyage met every internationally recognised criterion for a circumnavigation: it crossed all meridians of longitude, crossed the Equator twice, crossed the International Date Line and rounded the three Great Capes — Cape Leeuwin, Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged in the expedition via video conferencing and called IASV Triveni a "sailing ambassador" of India's maritime diplomacy.
Key Facts & Details
11 points- 1Samudra Pradakshina is the world's first tri-services all-women circumnavigation sailing expedition.
- 2Nine women officers of the three armed forces formed the crew.
- 3They sailed aboard the Indian Army Sailing Vessel (IASV) Triveni, a 50-foot boat built at Puducherry.
- 4The voyage lasted 314 days, covering nearly 25,500 nautical miles across four oceans.
- 5It began from Mumbai on 11 September 2025 and returned on 22 July 2026.
- 6It crossed the Equator twice, all meridians of longitude and the International Date Line.
- 7It rounded the three Great Capes — Cape Leeuwin, Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope.
- 8Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged in the expedition by video conferencing.
Deep Dive
- +Rajnath Singh described IASV Triveni as a "sailing ambassador" of India's maritime diplomacy.
- +Tri-services means personnel drawn from the Army, Navy and Air Force together.
- +The expedition met every internationally recognised test for a true circumnavigation.
Exam Focus
Which vessel carried the Samudra Pradakshina expedition, and how long did the voyage take?
Exam Relevance & Angle
National firsts with named vessels, durations and distances are favourite general awareness questions, and the three Great Capes are a standard geography link.
Target Exams
Background & Context
Sailing "around the world" has a strict definition. To count as a circumnavigation, a voyage must cross every meridian of longitude — that is, go all the way round — and the demanding version also requires rounding the three Great Capes: Cape Leeuwin off Australia, Cape Horn at South America's tip and the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa. These are the roughest waters on the route, which is why rounding all three is treated as the mark of a genuine global voyage. Crossing the Equator twice and the International Date Line confirms the route spanned both hemispheres and the full circle of longitude.
Test Yourself
1 / 2The Samudra Pradakshina all-women tri-service expedition was undertaken aboard which vessel?
Source
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