22 Crew Missing After Panama-Flagged ‘Ocean Winner’ Sinks in Bay of Bengal
By Business Desk
Search and rescue underway for 22 crew members after Panama-flagged cargo ship ‘Ocean Winner’ sank rapidly in the Bay of Bengal. Two rescued, 20 nationalities missing.
Indian authorities have initiated extensive search and rescue operations following the sinking of the Panama-flagged cargo vessel ‘Ocean Winner’ in the Bay of Bengal. Twenty-two crew members are currently missing after the ship, laden with iron ore, went down approximately 240 nautical miles off India’s eastern coast on Friday.
The Indian Coast Guard and Navy are coordinating these critical efforts, deploying resources to locate the missing seafarers. Two Chinese nationals were successfully rescued, providing the first-hand account of the vessel’s rapid submergence.
Incident Overview
- Total crew on board: 24 individuals
- Rescued crew: 2 Chinese nationals
- Missing crew count: 22 (comprising 18 Chinese, 3 Myanmar, and 1 Bangladeshi national)
- Sinking timeline: The vessel developed a list and sank within eight minutes
- Vessel’s cargo: Iron ore
- Departure port: Paradip port, India
- Destination: China
The rescued crew members reported that the ‘Ocean Winner’ developed a severe list on Friday, forcing them to abandon ship as it rapidly submerged. This swift sequence of events left little time for the majority of the crew to escape the sinking vessel.
The Coast Guard has specifically deployed two vessels from Sri Vijaya Puram, previously known as Port Blair, to the search area. Despite the coordinated efforts and ongoing operations, the exact cause behind the cargo ship’s sinking remains unknown at this time.