Daijiworld Media Network - Paradip
Paradip, Aug 23: A Panama-flagged cargo ship carrying 24 crew members sank in the Bay of Bengal, around 240 nautical miles off the Paradip coast of Odisha, triggering a major search and rescue operation by the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy.
The vessel, MV Ocean Winner, was carrying iron ore fines from Odisha to Singapore when it sank on Saturday. It had departed from the Paradip coast at around 10.42 pm on August 20. According to PTI reports, the ship was carrying about 72,100 metric tonnes of iron ore fines.
The 24-member crew comprised 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi national.
The Indian Coast Guard's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Sri Vijaya Puram received information at around 11.48 am on August 22 about the loss of communication with MV Ocean Winner and a request for search and rescue assistance from Victory Star Group Co Ltd, the company associated with the vessel. The ship's IMO number is 9145530.
Following the alert, the MRCC activated the International Safety Net and diverted the nearby merchant vessel MT Aisopos to search for the missing vessel and its liferafts. The vessel subsequently rescued two survivors from two separate liferafts at around 8 pm on Saturday.
The Indian Coast Guard has deployed ICGS Varad and ICGS Anmol, while ICGS Vijit was sent from Sri Vijaya Puram to reinforce the search operation. Other vessels operating in the area have also been alerted and asked to assist in locating the missing crew members.
With two crew members rescued, 22 others remain unaccounted for, according to the latest reports. Search and rescue efforts are continuing in the area.
The cause of the vessel's loss of communication and subsequent sinking has not yet been established. Reuters also reported that the Indian Coast Guard had rescued two people from liferafts and that the cause of the sinking was not immediately known.
MV Ocean Winner was a 225-metre-long bulk carrier, according to MarineTraffic data cited in reports. It had departed Paradip and was bound for Singapore, with the vessel's estimated arrival reportedly set for August 27.