Panama-flagged cargo ship with 24 crew members sinks off Odisha coast, two survivors rescued
The ship, MV Ocean Winner (IMO 9145530), had 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi on board. It had last visited Paradip and was heading to Singapore.
PTC News Desk: A Panama-flagged cargo ship carrying 24 crew members sank in the Bay of Bengal, about 240 nautical miles from Odisha’s Paradip coast, on Saturday. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and Indian Navy have started a major search-and-rescue operation.
The ship, MV Ocean Winner (IMO 9145530), had 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi on board. It had last visited Paradip and was heading to Singapore.
So far, two crew members have been rescued, while the search is still on for the other 22.
Communication Lost
The ICG’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Sri Vijaya Puram received an alert at 11:48 am from the company linked to the ship after communication with MV Ocean Winner was lost.
The company requested help to search for the vessel and its crew. The ship was carrying iron ore from Odisha to Singapore.
Two Crew Members Rescued
After receiving the alert, the MRCC asked MT Aisopos, a commercial ship nearby, to help search for the missing vessel and its liferafts.
At around 8 pm, MT Aisopos found and rescued two crew members from two liferafts. Their condition was not immediately known.
Three Coast Guard Ships Deployed
The Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy are jointly searching for the remaining crew members.
ICG ships Varad and Anmol have been sent to the area, while Vijit has been dispatched from Sri Vijaya Puram to support the rescue operation.
Authorities are also coordinating with other ships in the area to locate the missing crew members and any liferafts.