2 Indian Navy women officers cross Pacific's Point Nemo, Earth's remotest location, in sailboat

New Delhi: Two young women officers of the Indian Navy on Thursday crossed the Point Nemo – the remotest location on earth – in the southern Pacific as a part of their efforts to circumnavigate the globe in a sailboat.

Situated approximately 2,688 km from the nearest landmass, this isolated point is famous for its extreme remoteness, with the closest human presence often being aboard the International Space Station orbiting above.

“Lieutenant Commander Dilna K and Lieutenant Commander Roopa A, onboard INSV Tarini successfully passed through Point Nemo at 0030 hours on Jan 30, while sailing from Lyttelton, New Zealand, to Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, during the third leg of Navika Sagar Parikrama II,” an Indian Navy spokesperson said.

The officers collected water samples from the point, which will be analysed later by scientists at the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa.

These samples are likely to provide valuable insights into oceanic conditions, including the presence of marine biodiversity and chemical composition around Point Nemo, contributing to global oceanographic research.

A Spanish research vessel Hespérides in 1999 had become the first ship to sail to Point Nemo, but not many vessels passed through the point since then. The INSV Tarini passed through the point purely on sails.

Known as oceanic pole of inaccessibility or the most remote location on earth, Point Nemo also serves as a decommissioned spacecraft cemetery, where space agencies have intentionally directed defunct satellites and space stations to re-enter earth's atmosphere and fall into the ocean, minimizing the risk to human populations.

Lt Cdrs Dilna and Roopa began their voyage from Goa on Oct 2 and would brave the elements for over eight months negotiating the ‘roaring forties’, ‘furious fifties’ and ‘screaming sixties’ all alone before returning to Goa in May 2025.

This is the second all women circumnavigation attempt by the Indian Navy, which comes seven years after the first one by a six-member crew on board INSV Tarini. The same sail boat is being used by the duo.