New Delhi: A major search and rescue operation is underway in the Bay of Bengal after the Panama flagged cargo vessel MV Ocean Winner sank off the Odisha coast, with two crew members rescued so far and efforts continuing to locate the remaining 22 people on board.
The vessel was carrying 24 crew members, including 20 Chinese nationals, three from Myanmar and one from Bangladesh. It had departed from Paradip Port on August 20 carrying iron ore and was sailing towards Singapore when communication was lost.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Sri Vijaya Puram received an alert on August 22 after the vessel stopped responding. A request for search and rescue assistance was subsequently activated, triggering a coordinated maritime operation.
A merchant vessel, MT Aisopos, was diverted to the area and later rescued two survivors from separate life rafts at around 8 pm. The rescued crew members were provided medical attention, while their identities and ranks were being verified.
The Indian Coast Guard has deployed ICGS Varad and ICGS Anmol for the search operation, with ICGS Vijit also joining the mission from Sri Vijaya Puram. Other vessels operating in the region have been alerted and asked to assist in locating the missing crew.
MV Ocean Winner was reportedly last detected more than 300 nautical miles from the Odisha coast before disappearing from tracking systems. The vessel subsequently sank around 240 nautical miles off Odisha.
The bulk carrier was approximately 225 metres long and 32.26 metres wide and had been transporting iron ore loaded at Paradip Port.
Authorities are continuing aerial and maritime surveillance while searching for additional life rafts and survivors. The priority remains locating the remaining crew members and bringing them to safety as quickly as possible.
