Major Search-and-Rescue Operation Underway After Cargo Ship Sinks Off India’s East Coast
A massive search operation is currently scouring the Bay of Bengal for 22 missing crew members after a Panama-flagged vessel sank approximately 445 kilometers off the coast of Odisha, India.
The cargo ship, identified as Ocean Winner, went down on Saturday after losing contact with maritime authorities. The vessel had departed from the major port city of Paradip on Thursday, carrying a heavy cargo of 72,100 tonnes of iron ore fines destined for Singapore.
According to the Indian Coast Guard, there were 24 crew members on board at the time of the incident, comprising 20 Chinese nationals, three from Myanmar, and one from Bangladesh. In the immediate aftermath of the sinking, two crew members were successfully rescued from liferafts by the commercial vessel MT Isopos. The fate of the remaining 22 individuals remains unknown as the search-and-rescue operation intensifies.
Coordinated Response
In response to the distress, the Indian Coast Guard has deployed multiple assets, including the vessels Varad, Anmol, and Vijay. The Indian Navy has also joined the mission to assist in locating the missing mariners, navigating the challenging conditions of the Bay of Bengal.
Captain Alekha Charan Sahoo, deputy conservator of the Paradip Port Authority, expressed the gravity of the situation, stating that authorities are "praying for the safety of the crew and hoping for the best."
Unclear Cause
As of Sunday, the precise cause of the disaster remains a mystery. Indian officials have not yet confirmed whether the vessel encountered extreme weather, suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure, or faced other maritime hazards that led to the sinking.
The vessel’s operator, the Victory Star Group, reportedly alerted Indian authorities as soon as communication with the ship was severed on Saturday. While the company is coordinating with local officials, the ownership of the Ocean Winner has not been definitively established by independent sources.
Search teams continue to comb the area, with hopes focused on finding the remaining crew as the international maritime community watches the unfolding situation closely.
