NEW DELHI: A Panama-flagged bulk carrier carrying 24 crew members sank in the Bay of Bengal off Odisha after reportedly disappearing from maritime tracking systems, triggering a large-scale search and rescue operation by authorities.The vessel, MV Ocean Winner, was carrying an iron ore cargo and had departed from Paradip Port. It was reportedly headed for Singapore, with an estimated arrival date of August 27. The 225-metre-long ship was last reported more than 200 nautical miles off the Odisha coast before communication with it was lost, news agency ANI reported.The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) received information late Saturday about the loss of contact with the vessel and a request for search and rescue assistance from Victory Star Group Co Ltd.The ship had 24 crew members on board, including 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi national.Following the distress alert, MRCC (SVP) activated the International Safety Net and diverted merchant vessel MT AISOPOS to the area to search for MV Ocean Winner and any liferafts.
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The merchant vessel subsequently rescued two survivors from separate liferafts at around 8pm.The Indian Coast Guard also mobilised ICGS Varad and ICGS Anmol for the rescue operation, while ICGS Vijit was deployed from Sri Vijaya Puram to reinforce the search.Officials said efforts were continuing to locate the remaining crew members. The circumstances that led to the vessel losing communication and sinking were not immediately clear.According to MarineTraffic, MV Ocean Winner was a Panama-flagged bulk carrier measuring 225 metres in length and 32.26 metres in width.
