Panama-Flagged Vessel With 20 Chinese Nationals Sinks Off Odisha Coast, 2 Rescued From Liferafts in Bay of Bengal

Bhubaneswar: A Panama-flagged cargo vessel carrying 24 crew members, including 20 Chinese nationals, has sunk in the Bay of Bengal off India's eastern seaboard. A large-scale search and rescue operation was launched by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and other rescue teams for the missing seafarers.

According to reports, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) received a distress alert late on Saturday, after losing communication with MV Ocean Winner. The alert, which included a request for Search and Rescue assistance, was raised by Victory Star Group Co Ltd.

The concerned officials stated that the vessel was last reported at a position around 317 East Island LT 310 nautical miles. The iron ore carrier had reportedly vanished from tracking systems after departing from Paradip Port in Odisha and is believed to have gone down more than 200 nautical miles off the Paradip coast. According to MarineTraffic, the 225-metre-long and 32.26-metre-wide bulk carrier was sailing under the Panama flag and was en route to Singapore with an estimated arrival of August 27.

2 Survivors Pulled From Liferafts

Following the distress call, the MRCC, SVP, activated the International Safety Net (ISN) and diverted merchant tanker MT AISOPOS to locate the vessel and its liferafts. The diverted ship managed to rescue 2 survivors from 2 separate liferafts at around 2000 hours on Saturday.

The Indian Coast Guard has since mounted a massive operation, deploying ICGS Varad and ICGS Anmol for the rescue mission, while ICGS Vijit was also pressed into service from Sri Vijaya Puram to augment the efforts. A senior official confirmed that efforts were underway to trace the remaining crew members, adding that the identities of those rescued were not known.

Crew Comprised Chinese, Myanmar And Bangladeshi Nationals

The vessel was carrying 24 crew members in total, comprising 20 Chinese nationals, 3 from Myanmar and one from Bangladesh. The sinking has raised concerns for the safety of the remaining 22 crew members who are being searched by multiple rescue teams. 

The concerned authorities stated that the ICG and other agencies are continuing coordinated efforts to locate and rescue the remaining crew. The circumstances leading to the sinking of the iron ore-laden bulk carrier are still to be ascertained.

Further details regarding the cause of the sinking, whether it was due to technical failure, weather disturbance, or cargo shift, will only be clear after a detailed inquiry.