Panama-flagged ship sinks off Odisha, 22 sailors including Bangladeshi missing

A Panama-flagged bulk carrier sank in the Bay of Bengal off India’s Odisha coast on Saturday (August 22), leaving 22 of its 24 crew members missing, including a Bangladeshi sailor.

The MV Ocean Winner, carrying 24 crew members—20 Chinese, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi—was sailing from Paradip to Singapore after loading iron ore when it sank in the Bay of Bengal.

Two crew members were rescued alive, while the remaining 22 are still unaccounted for. The Indian Coast Guard and Navy are conducting a joint search-and-rescue operation.

The vessel reportedly lost contact about 240 nautical miles from the Paradip coast. At 11:48am, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Sri Vijaya Puram was alerted after the shipping company reported the loss of communication.

The Coast Guard immediately launched a search operation and also sought assistance from commercial vessels operating in the area. The tanker MT Isopos was diverted to the site and later rescued two sailors from separate life rafts at around 8pm on Saturday. Their identities have not yet been disclosed.

Coast Guard vessels Varad and Anmol, along with the Vijit vessel from Sri Vijaya Puram, have joined the search for the missing sailors. Other vessels in the area have also been alerted and asked to look out for survivors and life rafts.

The ship had left Paradip port on the night of August 20 carrying iron ore bound for Singapore. Indian media reports put its cargo at around 72,100 tonnes, although figures vary across reports.

Authorities have yet to determine what caused the vessel to sink. The circumstances surrounding the incident and the whereabouts of the missing sailors remain unclear as the search operation continues.

Source: NDTV