Bhubaneswar, August 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A Panama-flagged cargo vessel, MV Ocean-Winner, sank in the Bay of Bengal on Saturday, about 240 nautical miles off the Odisha coast, triggering a large-scale search and rescue operation by Indian maritime authorities.
The vessel had sailed from Paradip Port at around 10.30 p.m. on August 20, carrying approximately 1,700 tonnes of iron ore from Odisha and heading for Singapore. There were 24 crew members aboard, comprising 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi national.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) at Sri Vijaya Puram received an alert at 11.48 a.m. on Saturday after contact with the vessel was lost. Victory Star Group Co. Ltd, the ship’s operating company, requested search and rescue assistance.
The vessel’s last known location was reported near 317 East Island Light, around 310 nautical miles away.
Following the alert, the MRCC activated the Indian Search and Rescue (ISN) network and diverted merchant tanker MT AISOPOS to the area to search for the vessel and possible liferafts.
At around 8 p.m., MT AISOPOS located and rescued two survivors from two separate liferafts.
The Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy subsequently mounted a coordinated rescue operation. Coast Guard ships ICGS Varad and ICGS Anmol were deployed, while ICGS Vijit sailed from Sri Vijaya Puram to reinforce the search.
Other vessels operating in the vicinity were also alerted and requested to assist in locating the remaining crew members.
Authorities have not yet established the status of all 24 people who were aboard the vessel, and search efforts for those still unaccounted for are continuing.
The cause of the vessel’s sinking has not yet been determined and remains under investigation. Further updates on the rescue operation and the condition of the two rescued crew members are awaited.
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