KOCHI: The capsizing and the eventual sinking of a Liberia-flagged container ship, MSC ELSA 3, some 30-odd nautical miles off the Kochi coast on Sunday, has now raised a concern for sailing enthusiasts in the country eagerly awaiting the return of INSV Tarini, the Indian Navy’s celebrated sailing vessel.Steered by lieutenant commanders Dilna K, who hails from Kozhikode in Kerala, and Pondicherry-native Roopa A, the vessel was slated to return to Goa this week, thus completing the second Navika Sagar Parikrama mission of the Indian Navy – a circumnavigation of the globe by women officers.Though Tarini’s location was withheld for the past many weeks on account of the ongoing Operation Sindoor, sailing enthusiasts had estimated that the duo, fondly called DilRoo, were just off the coast of Kerala, and very likely near these affected waters.“INSV Tarini is sailing in the same weather that… capsized this great ship,” a sailing veteran wrote. Another pointed to how “containers, which had gotten detached from the ship and are now floating in the waters half-submerged, could mean dangerous navigation.”However, an official attached to the Navika Sagar Parikrama mission has confirmed to TNIE that “DilRoo are indeed safe and that they have already passed ELSA.” He also added that the flag-in ceremony will take place as earlier scheduled.Another official told TNIE that instructions were already relayed to INSV Tarini “to stay far away from the coast until it’s time to enter Goa.” This, he clarified, was to avoid getting in the way of rescue and reconnaissance efforts surrounding the MSC ELSA 3 incident.It was on October 2 last year that INSV Tarini departed for its ambitious voyage around the world. On its successful completion on Thursday, DilRoo will have covered over 21,600 nautical miles (approx 40,000 km) relying solely on wind power.The voyage is the fourth expedition in the Navy’s Sagar Parikrama series, and the second to be steered by an all-woman team.
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