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Updated - August 23, 2026 10:43 pm IST - BHUBANESWAR, CHENNAI

Image used for representational purposes only. | Photo Credit:

The fates of 22 crew members aboard a Panama-flagged bulk carrier that sank in the Bay of Bengal off Odisha remained unknown even after 24 hours of intensive search and rescue operations by the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Sunday (August 23, 2026).

According to the latest reports from the Navy and the ICG, two Chinese crew members of the ill-fated M.V. Ocean Winner, which was carrying iron ore from Odisha, were rescued, even as Navy ships and aircraft continued to search for the remaining crew.

Ocean Winner (IMO 9145530), with 24 (20 Chinese, three Myanmarese, and one Bangladeshi) crew onboard, had left Paradip Port late on August 20.

The ICG said that 36 hours after the ship’s departure, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) received information that communication with the vessel was lost. It also received a request for a search and rescue operation.

The Eastern Naval Command said on X that it responded to the distress alert by deploying the P8I surveillance aircraft in coordination with MRCC, Sri Vijaya Puram. “The Indian Navy aircraft located a geographically dispersed liferaft in the area and soon coordinated with MT Aisopos, which was transiting nearby, with a request for the merchant vessel to render assistance. By late evening on August 22, MT Aisopos had rescued two of the 24 crew members from the liferafts,” the Navy said.

On 22 Aug 26, responding to the distress alert received in respect of MV OCEAN WINNER, approximately 700 Km East of #Visakhapatnam, #IndianNavy aircraft P8I on surveillance sortie was rapidly re-deployed for Search & Rescue mission in coordination with #MRCC at Sri Vijay Puram.… pic.twitter.com/rAz3Gg10uf

The Navy said it continues to coordinate with the ICG in the operation to find the remaining crew.

“Sustained monitoring and focused aerial search by Indian Navy P8I MR aircraft led to the successful detection of two floating liferafts and oil slick near the reported position,” the Navy posted on X.

According to Equasis, a global merchant shipping database, Ocean Winner was a 28-year-old vessel that could carry around 73,000 tonnes of cargo. Built in 1998, it was 225 metres long and 32.26 metres wide, and was in its end-of-life period. Periodic inspections by national authorities uncovered several deficiencies. The last inspection by Bangladesh authorities in Chittagong this June reported three deficiencies, including in the ship’s magnetic compass.

Ocean Winner was covered by Protection and Indemnity insurance that would compensate for the loss of life. The insurance is up-to-date, starting from August 1, 2026. The ship has changed hands many times, starting with Greek ownership. The current owner is located in Fujian, China.

Published - August 23, 2026 10:36 pm IST

waterway and maritime transport / Orissa

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