Dbarta24 Desk- A Panama-flagged cargo vessel named MV Ocean-Winner sank in the Bay of Bengal approximately 240 nautical miles (445 km) off the Odisha coast on Saturday, triggering a massive joint search-and-rescue operation by the Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy.
The vessel was carrying 24 crew members, including one Bangladeshi national.
Distress Call and Immediate Response
The cargo ship departed Paradip Port in Odisha at around 10:30 PM on August 20, transporting 1,700 tons of iron ore bound for Singapore.
Contact with the vessel was abruptly lost on Saturday, August 22, at approximately 11:48 AM local time.
The ship’s operating company, Victory Star Group Co. Ltd., notified the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Sri Vijaya Puram after failing to establish communication, urgently requesting assistance for search and rescue.
Crew Breakdown & Rescue Efforts
| Category | Details |
| Vessel Name | MV Ocean-Winner (Panama-flagged) |
| Cargo | 1,700 tons of iron ore |
| Route | Paradip Port, Odisha to Singapore |
| Total Crew | 24 (20 Chinese, 3 Myanmar, 1 Bangladeshi) |
| Deployed Rescue Vessels | ICGS Varad, ICGS Anmol, ICGS Vijit |
| Rescued So Far | 2 crew members (recovered from a life raft) |
Ongoing Maritime Operations
The Indian Coast Guard swiftly deployed two specialized vessels, Varad and Anmol, to the incident site, while a third ship, Vijit, was dispatched from Sri Vijaya Puram to support the mission.
Rescuers have successfully pulled two crew members to safety from a life raft so far.
According to a senior IPS officer, maritime authorities have issued high-priority alerts to all commercial ships navigating the surrounding waters, asking them to remain vigilant and assist in locating the remaining missing sailors.
Rescue teams continue to brave open waters as efforts intensify to trace the rest of the crew.