From Gulf of Aden rescue to Visakhapatnam fire: Navy personnel get gallantry awards

New Delhi: The president, Droupadi Murmu, has approved gallantry awards for Indian Navy personnel on the eve of India’s 80th Independence Day, recognizing acts of courage, professional excellence and devotion to duty. According to the list released by the defence ministry, one Navy officer has been awarded the Shaurya Chakra, three personnel have received the Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry), while four have been Mentioned in Despatches.

The honours are part of the wider gallantry awards approved by the president ahead of Independence Day and recognize naval personnel for their actions in high-risk operational situations.

The Indian Army has also been recognized in the Independence Day honours. As reported by RNA Media, 15 Army personnel have been cited for Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra, including three Kirti Chakra awardees, one Bar to the Shaurya Chakra and 11 Shaurya Chakra awardees for their actions during counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir and Manipur.

Shaurya Chakra

Lieutenant commander Shivam Kumar has been awarded the Shaurya Chakra for his actions during a high-risk rescue and recovery operation in the Gulf of Aden on October 18, 2025.

At the time of the incident, Kumar was working as the NBCD Officer of INS Trikand. The warship had been ordered to help MT Falcon, which was a Cameroon-registered LPG tanker and was badly burnt after an explosion occurred on its way through the Houthi attack area. MT Falcon was not only badly burnt but had a leaking fuel, leaving it adrift.

Kumar volunteered for the internal search operation despite the chances of a second explosion, toxic gases and a structure collapse. He conducted searches within the gas filled and smoky compartments as he entered the tanker again and again.

According to the reports, he carried out technical and risk assessments as conditions deteriorated and spearheaded the search for the missing crew members. He also supervised the recovery of their mortal remains from severely damaged sections of the vessel.

Nao Sena Medal (gallantry)

Commander Yuvraj Kumar, commander Vineet Sharma and C Avinash Annaso, POA (FD) have been awarded the Nao Sena Medal (gallantry) for exceptional courage and devotion to duty.

Yuvraj Kumar was recognized for his role in an unprecedented aerial firefighting mission during a massive methanol reservoir fire at East India Petrochemical Limited in Visakhapatnam. Fire started due to a lightning strike and posed a threat to the nearby fuel tanks. The firefighting teams on the ground were unable to control the fire, and therefore the Navy had to use an aerial helicopter equipped with LAALDE to dispense aqueous foam.

As the pilot in command, Kumar kept flying at 70 to 100 feet from the blazing oil storage tank while dropping foam through the suspended tank. Kumar flew for over four hours and dropped foam 20 times even with extreme heat, dangerous smoke, wind turbulence created by the fire, and danger of explosion.

C Avinash Annaso, serving as the flight diver and rear aircrew, operated the LAALDE system and coordinated the manual filling of the foam bucket from fire tenders on the ground. He also provided inputs to the pilot through dense smoke and unpredictable thermal conditions, helping maintain the helicopter’s position over the burning tank.

Reports said, the operation helped suppress the fire and prevented it from spreading to adjoining fuel reservoirs, averting the possibility of a major chain explosion.

Mention in Despatches

Commander Nikhil Chugh, Lieutenant Ajay Jose N Joseph, Abhishek Dhanawade, Sea I (CD), and Ashwin Santhosh, AVR Sea (CD) have been recognized with Mention in Despatches for noteworthy service and gallant action during military operations.