The Perfect Storm

Seven fishermen, adrift in a small boat, had given up all hope. Would they live to tell the tale?

- Chitra Subramanyam

CAPTAIN RADHIKA MENON hadn’t s lept al l night. MT Sampurna Swarajya, the oil tanker she was commanding, had been tossed about like a toy, pitching and rolling, as it made its way through the turbulent Bay of Bengal. Menon had been on the bridge monitoring the ship’s course. When the morning of 22 June 2015 dawned, it was just as grey as the one before, with waves over 25 feet high and winds blowing at more than 60 knots. Lashings of rain added to the darkening skies. They were now off the coast of Gopalpur in Odisha. Menon sent an update to the headquarters before stepping down to the cabin below to freshen up, leaving the ship in second officer Manoj Chauhan’s capable hands.

It was past noon as Chauhan, also the duty officer, stood next to the radar, peering through his binoculars, trying to look past the rain and the swelling sea. He had to maintain the course, while steering the ship. That’s when he first spotted the boat in the distance as it bounced about, on the verge of being sucked in by the waves.

Chauhan looked carefully — the boat was about 1.8 kilometres (1 nautical mile) away. Squinting, he spotted an orange cloth flapping in the wind. This wasn’t a deep-sea fishing boat, but one that should have been closer the shoreline. Then he saw something that made him catch his breath—hands, raised and waving frantically, begging for help.

Chauhan alerted Menon who rushed to the navigation bridge and sounded the alarm—seven short and one prolonged burst—this was an emergency. She peered through the binoculars and could tell they were fishermen, one of whom looked like a teenager.

They need to be rescued right away. They won’t survive for long, she thought.