Two Crew Rescued, 22 Missing After Panama-Flagged Vessel Sinks Off Odisha Coast

Bhubaneswar: A Panama-flagged cargo vessel, MV Ocean-Winner, sank in the Bay of Bengal, approximately 240 nautical miles off the Odisha coast, leaving 22 crew members missing.

The vessel, carrying 1,700 tonnes of iron ore from Paradip Port to Singapore, lost contact on August 22 after departing on August 20.

The crew included 20 Chinese nationals, three from Myanmar, and one from Bangladesh.

Two survivors were rescued from liferafts by merchant tanker MT AISOPOS, which was diverted to assist.

Following the distress alert, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) activated the Indian Search and Rescue (ISN) network.

Indian Coast Guard ships — ICGS Varad, ICGS Anmol, and ICGS Vijit — along with the Indian Navy, launched a joint search operation. Nearby merchant vessels were also alerted to join the rescue efforts.

Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the sinking, while search operations remain underway to locate the missing crew members.