'Exceptional bravery' award to Indian ship captain, crew for Red Sea rescue

Captain Avhilash Rawat and his crew of an oil tanker have been named among the winners of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) 2024 Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea for their extraordinary courage shown in a Red Sea rescue mission.

Rawat and his crew were declared winners by the IMO on Wednesday for the "determination and endurance" demonstrated while coordinating firefighting and damage control efforts to combat a fire that broke out after an anti-ship missile reportedly fired by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels struck their vessel 'Marlin Luanda' earlier this year.

Captain Brijesh Nambiar and the crew of the Indian Navy ship INS Visakhapatnam have been conferred a Letter of Commendation for their support to the oil tanker when in distress.

On the evening of J26 January 2024, the Marlin Luanda, carrying 84,147 tonnes of Naphtha, was en route from Suez to Incheon when it was struck by an anti-ship ballistic missile. The explosion ignited a cargo tank, creating a significant