Search and Rescue Operation Underway

A coordinated search-and-rescue operation continued off India's eastern coast on Sunday after a Panama-flagged cargo vessel, the MV Ocean Winner, sank in the Bay of Bengal, leaving 22 of its 24 crew members missing. The Indian Coast Guard and Navy deployed multiple ships and aircraft to scour the area, with the operation being closely coordinated between the two services, as confirmed by the Navy in a social media post.

Two crew members, both Chinese nationals, were rescued late Saturday. According to India's Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, the two rescued individuals were undergoing medical treatment while their ranks and identities were being verified. In a social media post, Sonowal stated that all agencies were coordinating closely and actively conducting search and rescue efforts.

The Sinking and Immediate Response

The Ocean Winner, carrying iron ore, had departed from Paradip port in India's eastern Odisha state on Friday, according to an initial report prepared by India's Maritime Administration. The two rescued seafarers told officials that the vessel developed a list on Friday and sank within eight minutes, forcing the crew to abandon ship, as reported by Shyam Jagannathan, director general of India's Maritime Administration, in comments to Reuters.

The exact location of the sinking has been reported differently by various sources. The Press Trust of India reported that the cargo ship sank about 276 miles (444 kilometers) from the Paradip coast, while officials cited by the Indian Express placed the sinking at approximately 240 nautical miles (444 kilometers) off the coast of Odisha. Government sources also indicated the ship went down about 240 nautical miles from the port, according to multiple reports. The Navy, in a separate account, stated that the vessel sent a distress alert about 700 kilometers (435 miles) east of Visakhapatnam.

The cause of the sinking remains unknown, as several reports confirmed that it was not immediately determined.

Rescue Efforts and Crew Details

The Indian Coast Guard deployed three ships to conduct surface searches for the remaining crew, as stated in a post on X. Additionally, two Coast Guard vessels were dispatched from Sri Vijaya Puram, formerly known as Port Blair, the capital of India's Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, according to a Coast Guard spokesperson. A navy patrol aircraft was also redeployed to surveil the area, and it located life rafts, coordinating with a nearby commercial vessel, the MT Aisopos, to collect two crew members from the liferafts, as detailed by the Navy.

The crew of the Ocean Winner comprised 24 members. According to the Indian Coast Guard, the missing crew include 18 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals, and one Bangladeshi. The Associated Press, citing the coast guard, reported that the ship was carrying 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals, and one Bangladeshi among the crew. However, the nationalities of the two rescued crew members were not immediately clear, as noted in one report. The Press Trust of India, citing coast guard sources, reported that the total crew included 20 Chinese nationals, three from Myanmar, and one Bangladeshi.

Warnings on Survival Chances

Shyam Jagannathan warned that the chances of finding survivors generally fall sharply after 12 hours, but stressed that rescuers were continuing their search. His comments, made to Reuters, were echoed across multiple reports. The search operation remained active as of Sunday, with both the Coast Guard and Navy maintaining a coordinated effort to locate the missing seafarers.