Two crew members rescued after cargo ship sinks off Odisha coast; search for 22 on

Two of 24 crew members aboard Panama-flagged cargo vessel MV Ocean-Winner were rescued after it sank in the Bay of Bengal off Odisha. The Indian Navy and Coast Guard continue searching for the remaining crew members in a coordinated operation

Bhubaneshwar: Two of the 24 crew members of the Panama‑flagged cargo vessel, MV Ocean‑Winner, that sank in the Bay of Bengal have been rescued, and the search to locate the remaining missing crew members is underway, the Indian Navy said on Sunday.

MV Ocean‑Winner sank in the Bay of Bengal around 240 nautical miles off the Odisha coast on Saturday, prompting a major search‑and‑rescue operation by Indian maritime authorities. The ship had departed Paradip Port at approximately 10:30 p.m. on August 20, carrying about 1,700 tonnes of iron ore and bound for Singapore.

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It had 24 crew members on board: 20 Chinese nationals, three from Myanmar and one from Bangladesh. Officials confirmed the vessel was loaded with iron ore from Odisha.

In a statement on X, the Eastern Naval Command said, “On 22 Aug 26, responding to the distress alert received in respect of MV OCEAN WINNER, approximately 700 km east of Visakhapatnam, Indian Navy aircraft P8I on surveillance sortie was rapidly re-deployed for Search & Rescue mission in coordination with MRCC at Sri Vijay Puram.” “The IN aircraft located a geographically dispersed liferaft in the area and soon coordinated with MT AISOPOS, which was transiting nearby, with a request for the merchant vessel to render assistance. By late evening on 22 Aug, MT AISOPOS had rescued two of the 24 crew members from the liferafts,” it added.

The Indian Navy said that it continues to closely coordinate with the Indian Coast Guard in the search and rescue operation to locate the remaining crew. The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Sri Vijaya Puram received an alert at 11:48 a.m. on August 22 that it had lost contact with the vessel. The request for search and rescue assistance came from Victory Star Group Co. Ltd, the company operating the ship.

The vessel’s last known position was reported near 317 East Island Light, approximately 310 nautical miles away. In response, the MRCC activated the Indian Search and Rescue (ISN) network. A merchant tanker, MT AISOPOS, was diverted to the area to search for the vessel and any liferafts. Around 8 p.m., MT AISOPOS recovered two survivors from two separate liferafts.

The Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy launched a coordinated joint rescue operation. Coast Guard ships ICGS Varad and ICGS Anmol were immediately deployed, while ICGS Vijit sailed from Sri Vijaya Puram to reinforce the operation. Authorities also alerted other ships operating in the vicinity and asked them to help locate the remaining crew members.

The exact cause of the sinking remains under investigation. The rapid response by the Indian Coast Guard, Navy and nearby commercial vessels underscores India’s commitment to maritime safety in the region. Further updates on the rescue operation and the survivors’ condition are awaited.