Hope Fades for Survivors as Indian Coast Guard Finds Lost Bulker's Lifeboat
The Indian Coast Guard, working with the Indian Navy, intensified the search for 22 crewmembers missing from a bulker that was believed to have sunk in the Bay of Bengal on Saturday. Additional resources have been deployed, but the Coast Guard said hope was fading after they searched a lifeboat from the vessel.
A reconnaissance aircraft from the Indian Navy picked up a distress signal from the Panama-flagged bulker Ocean Winner and visually spotted three lifeboats and rafts from the vessel. The aircraft supplied the coordinates to the Indian Coast Guard, and the patrol boat ICGS Varad reached the coordinates. It recovered the vessel’s emergency beacon and also searched a damaged lifeboat, but no one was aboard.
The Navy also reported seeing an oil slick believed to be coming from the lost bulker. The position is approximately 230 nautical miles off the Odisha coast. The Ocean Winner (72,928 dwt) had departed Paradip, India, on August 20, bound for Singapore. Built in 1998, the vessel is managed by a Chinese company. It was last inspected in June, with the reported deficiencies related to fire safety.
The Coast Guard said on Tuesday that additional resources were being deployed. Two merchant ships also joined the search.
A good Samaritan vessel, the tanker Aisopos, reported late on Saturday that it had recovered two crewmembers from the bulker in life rafts.
The crew told them that the ship had taken on a sudden list on Saturday morning. They said it was possibly just eight minutes until the vessel began sinking. The crew said the ship had been holding off Pradip since August 3 and had experienced significant heavy rain during that time. It then proceeded to load 72,200 tonnes of iron ore fines.
Suspicions are focusing on possible liquefaction of the cargo, but Coast Guard officials are emphasizing that no cause has been determined. They highlighted that there are prescribed transportable moisture limits for cargo and that wet loading of iron ore is prohibited. They will be investigating the conditions during loading.
The ship had a total of 24 crewmembers, including 20 Chinese nationals, three from Myanmar, and one from Bangladesh. The two rescued crewmembers are reported to be Chinese.
The Coast Guard vessels Anmol and Vijit joined the Varad and are all working the search area.
Indian Coast Guard launches search and rescue operation after cargo vessel sinks in Bay of Bengal
The crew consisted of 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals, and one Bangladeshi, the Indian Coast Guard said.
The Indian Coast Guard has launched a search and rescue operation off the coast of eastern India after a cargo ship sank in the Bay of Bengal.
According to the Coast Guard, the MV Ocean Winner vessel issued a distress alert while southeast off the port of Paradip on Saturday before contact was lost.
Two of the 24-strong crew have been rescued from life rafts, while the Coast Guard has deployed three ships to carry out surface searches for the remaining crew members.
The crew consisted of 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals, and one Bangladeshi, the agency said.
The cause of the sinking is not yet clear.
Sarbananda Sonowal, India's Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said the Panama-flagged vessel had been carrying iron ore from the port of Paradip to China when it sank.
"All agencies are coordinating closely and actively doing search and rescue efforts. 2 survivors have been successfully rescued and are being given medical care; their rank and identity are currently being verified," he wrote in a post on X.
"My prayers for the safety of the remaining crew," he added.
Search continues for 22 after bulk carrier sinks off India
India’s Coast Guard and Navy continued search-and-rescue operations off the eastern coast on Sunday after a Panama-flagged cargo vessel carrying 24 crew sank, with two Chinese nationals rescued, a senior official said.
The two rescued Chinese seafarers said the vessel developed a list on Friday and sank within eight minutes, forcing crew to abandon ship, Shyam Jagannathan, director general of India’s Maritime Administration, told Reuters.
Jagannathan said the chances of finding survivors generally fall sharply after 12 hours, but rescuers were continuing the search.
Twenty-two crew members remain missing from the Ocean Winner, including 18 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi, according to the Indian Coast Guard.
The Indian Navy is closely coordinating with the Coast Guard to locate the remaining crew, the Navy said in a post on X.
The Coast Guard has sent two vessels from Sri Vijaya Puram, formerly known as Port Blair, for the search-and-rescue operation, a Coast Guard spokesperson said.
The Ocean Winner was carrying iron ore bound for China after departing from India’s eastern Paradip port on Friday, according to an initial report prepared from India’s Maritime Administration.
The cargo ship sank about 240 nautical miles from the port, according to government sources.
The cause of the sinking was not immediately known.
(Additional reporting by Disha Mishra in Bengaluru; Writing by Mayank Bhardwaj; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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