22 missing, 2 rescued after China-bound cargo ship sinks off Odisha coast; rescue ops underway

A Panama-flagged cargo ship, the MS Ocean Winner, sank in the Bay of Bengal with 22 seafarers missing and two rescued. The vessel was carrying over 72,000 tonnes of iron ore from Odisha, India, to China.

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MRCC Sri Vijaya Puram initiated a swift search and rescue effort following a distress alert and loss of contact with MV Ocean Winner at 11.48 am Saturday, nearly 230 nautical miles south east off Paradip.

The ship departed from Paradip Port in Odisha on Friday and reportedly sank on Saturday, approximately 230 nautical miles off the eastern coast. The crew consisted of 20 Chinese nationals, three from Myanmar, and one Bangladeshi national.

An intensive search operation is underway, involving Indian Coast Guard ships and a Navy maritime surveillance aircraft. Merchant vessels in the vicinity have also been alerted to assist. The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Sri Vijaya Puram initiated the search after receiving a distress alert and losing contact with the vessel.

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The coordination centre then diverted the tanker MT Aisopos, which rescued two Chinese survivors from two liferafts at about 8pm.

Two Chinese survivors, Chen Jianhe and Pan Tonglai, were rescued from liferafts by the tanker MT Aisopos. They reported that the MV Ocean Winner developed a list and sank rapidly. The Mercantile Marine Department in Kolkata is tasked with investigating the incident. Rough sea conditions are currently hampering the rescue efforts.

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The survival odds fall sharply after 12 hours.