Bhubaneswar: A Panama-flagged cargo vessel, MV Ocean Winner, has sunk in the Bay of Bengal, around 240 nautical miles off Odisha’s Paradip coast. Two of the 24 crew members have been rescued, while 22 remain missing.
The vessel was carrying 72,100 tonnes of iron ore and was bound for Singapore after departing Paradip Port at 10.42 pm on August 20. The crew included 20 Chinese nationals, three from Myanmar and one from Bangladesh.
The company informed the Indian Coast Guard’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) on Saturday morning after losing contact with the vessel. A search operation was immediately launched, with the nearby vessel MT Isopos deployed to assist.
Around 8 pm, two crew members were rescued from two life rafts. The Indian Coast Guard and Navy have intensified efforts to locate the remaining crew.
Three Coast Guard vessels, including ICG Varad and Anmol, have been deployed for the operation, while INS Vijit has also been sent to provide additional assistance.
Officials suspect that the vessel’s tracking signal may have been lost due to a technical failure, malfunction of the Automatic Identification System (AIS) or an emergency situation.
A detailed investigation is underway as rescue teams continue the search for the missing crew members.
