Twenty-two seafarers are missing in deep sea, while two have been rescued after a Panama-flagged cargo ship MV Ocean Winner carrying more than 72,000 tonnes of iron ore fines from Odisha to China sank in the Bay of Bengal , about 230 nautical miles off the eastern coast, officials said on Sunday.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Sri Vijaya Puram (formerly Port Blair) activated a search-and-rescue operation after receiving a distress alert and losing contact with the vessel. The cause of the sinking has not been established. Authorities are expected to examine whether adverse weather, sea conditions, problems involving the cargo, mechanical failure or other factors contributed to the incident. The loss of the vessel from tracking systems before it sank is also likely to form part of the investigation. Ports, shipping and waterways minister Sarbananda Sonowal expressed concern over the incident, saying all agencies were coordinating the search and rescue efforts. The incident occurred during the southwest monsoon, when rough seas and heavy weather can pose risks to vessels carrying bulk cargoes. A major accident was eventually averted.
In another incident that year, the Vietnam-flagged MV Vinalines Mighty developed a serious stability problem while carrying about 24,500 tonnes of iron ore from Paradip and sent an SOS after beginning to tilt.
“Deeply concerned by the unfortunate incident involving MV OCEAN WINNER off the coast of Odisha,” Sonowal said in a social media post.
