&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Cargo ship with 24 crew members sinks in Bay of Bengal")
A Panama-flagged cargo ship carrying iron ore from Paradip port to China sank in the Bay of Bengal on Saturday, around 240 nautical miles from the Paradip coast in Odisha, officials said. Indian Coast Guard and Navy have launched a search and rescue operation.
The vessel, which left Paradip at about 10:30 p.m. on August 20, carrying 1700 tonnes of iron ore fines, was last reported to have been sailing about 200 nautical miles from the port when communication was lost.
According to preliminary information 24 crew members, including 20 Chinese nationals, 1 Bangladeshi, and 3 Myanmar nationals were on board the ship that was heading towards Singapore when it sank, reported news agency PTI.
An IPS officer speaking to the news agency said, "We are not sure how many of the crew members have been rescued."
Other vessels operating in the vicinity had also been alerted and asked to assist in the rescue effort, said the officer.
Search and rescue operation
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The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Sri Vijaya Puram ( Port Blair ) received an alert at 1148 hrs on 22 August about the loss of communication with MV Ocean Winner (IMO 9145530). The ship’s operator, Victory Star Group Co Ltd, requested immediate assistance.
The vessel’s last known position was reported roughly 310 NM northwest of the northern tip of the Andaman Islands. On board were 24 crew: 20 Chinese nationals, three from Myanmar and one from Bangladesh.
MRCC activated the Indian Search and Rescue Network and diverted the tanker MT Aisopos to the area. At approximately 2000 hrs the same day, MT Aisopos recovered two survivors from two life rafts. Indian Coast Guard ships ICGS Varad, ICGS Anmol and ICGS Vijit have been deployed to continue the search for the remaining 22 crew members. ICGS Vijit sailed from Sri Vijaya Puram to reinforce the effort.
Officials said search operations remain under way across a wide area of the northern Bay of Bengal. No further details on the condition of the two rescued survivors or the circumstances that led to the loss of contact have been released. Authorities continue to coordinate surface searches and are assessing additional assets that may be required as efforts to locate the missing crew continue into the night. This is a developing story.
(Reported by Sidhant Sibal)
