Ship sinks off Odisha; two rescued as Navy, Coast Guard continue search for 22 crew members
The Indian Navy and Coast Guard are conducting an intensive search for 22 missing crew members after a Panama-flagged bulk carrier sank in the Bay of Bengal. Two crew members have been rescued so far, while aerial and maritime assets continue to scan the area for survivors.
Why it matters
This is a major maritime search and rescue operation involving international cooperation and significant naval resources.
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.
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