Two of 24 Crew Rescued After Panama-Flagged Vessel Sinks off Odisha Coast
The Coast Guard has since deployed its ships Varad, Anmol and Vijit to intensify the search for the remaining 22 crew members
Bhubaneswar: Two of the 24 crew members of the Panama-flagged bulk carrier MV Ocean Winner were rescued after the vessel sank in the Bay of Bengal, about 240 nautical miles off the Odisha coast, triggering a massive search-and-rescue operation by the Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy.
The vessel, carrying 24 foreign crew members, had departed from Paradip Port on August 20 and was headed for Singapore with a cargo of iron ore fines loaded in Odisha. The crew comprised 20 Chinese nationals, three from Myanmar and one from Bangladesh.
The Indian Coast Guard’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Sri Vijaya Puram received information at around 11.48 am on Saturday about the loss of communication with the vessel and a request for search-and-rescue assistance.
Following the alert, the MRCC diverted the nearby merchant vessel MT Aisopos to search for the missing vessel and any possible liferafts. The tanker subsequently rescued two survivors from separate liferafts at around 8 pm, officials said.
The Coast Guard has since deployed its ships Varad, Anmol and Vijit to intensify the search for the remaining 22 crew members. The Indian Navy is also participating in the operation, while other merchant vessels in the vicinity have been alerted to assist in locating survivors.
The 225-metre-long MV Ocean Winner had sailed from the Paradip anchorage at around 10.30 pm on August 20. The vessel subsequently lost communication and disappeared from maritime tracking systems before it was confirmed to have sunk.
The circumstances leading to the sinking remain unclear. Authorities have not indicated any definitive cause, and the search operation is continuing amid efforts to locate the missing crew members.
The incident has raised serious concerns over the safety of the multinational crew, with maritime authorities racing against time to locate those who may still be afloat in liferafts or using life-saving equipment.
The Indian Coast Guard and Navy have intensified surveillance in the area, while merchant vessels operating nearby have also been asked to remain alert for possible survivors.
