Cargo Ship Sinks in Bay of Bengal, 2 Crew Rescued; 22 Still Missing

A Panama-flagged cargo ship, MV Ocean-Winner, sank in the Bay of Bengal, around 240 nautical miles off the Odisha coast. Two of the 24 crew members have been rescued, while 22 crew members are still missing.
The Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard have launched a major search-and-rescue operation to find the missing sailors.

Two Crew Members Rescued
The rescue operation began at around 11:48 am on August 22, after the ship’s operator reported that contact with MV Ocean-Winner had been lost.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) immediately activated India’s search-and-rescue network. A merchant ship, MT AISOPOS, which was sailing nearby, was asked to search for the missing vessel and its liferafts.

Later on Saturday evening, MT AISOPOS found two liferafts and rescued two crew members. The rescued sailors were taken safely on board the merchant vessel.

Navy and Coast Guard Continue Search
The Indian Navy sent a P-8I aircraft to the area after receiving the distress alert. The aircraft helped locate a liferaft and coordinated with MT AISOPOS to provide assistance.

The Indian Coast Guard has also deployed ships ICGS Varad and ICGS Anmol for the search. ICGS Vijit has also been sent from Sri Vijaya Puram to strengthen the rescue operation.
Other ships operating in the area have also been alerted and asked to help search for the missing crew members.

Ship Was Carrying Iron Ore to Singapore
MV Ocean-Winner had left Paradip Port at around 10:30 pm on August 20. The cargo ship was carrying iron ore from Odisha and was travelling towards Singapore.
There were 24 crew members on board. They included 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi national.
The ship sank around 240 nautical miles from the Paradip coast.

Reason for Sinking Still UnknownAuthorities have not yet confirmed what caused the ship to sink. The main focus of the rescue teams is now to locate the 22 missing crew members and search for more liferafts or survivors.
The Indian Navy, Coast Guard and nearby commercial ships are continuing the search operation in the Bay of Bengal.

Authorities have not yet confirmed what caused the ship to sink. The main focus of the rescue teams is now to locate the 22 missing crew members and search for more liferafts or survivors.
The Indian Navy, Coast Guard and nearby commercial ships are continuing the search operation in the Bay of Bengal.