Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday expressed concern over the sinking of the Panama-flagged cargo vessel MV Ocean Winner in the Bay of Bengal and said multiple agencies were coordinating search and rescue operations.
He added that the identities and ranks of the two rescued crew members were being verified. He also prayed for the safety of the remaining crew members. A request for search and rescue assistance was subsequently received from Victory Star Group Co Ltd. The Indian Coast Guard deployed ICGS Varad and ICGS Anmol for the search and rescue mission. ICGS Vijit was also deployed from Sri Vijaya Puram to strengthen the operation. The identities of the two rescued crew members were not immediately available. Search and rescue efforts remain underway as authorities continue to look for the remaining crew members.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) received information late on August 22 about the loss of communication with MV Ocean Winner.
In a post on X, Sonowal said all agencies were working together on the rescue operation. “Deeply concerned by the unfortunate incident involving MV OCEAN WINNER off the coast of Odisha,” Sonowal said, adding that the vessel was carrying iron ore from Paradip Port to China. A senior police official said efforts were continuing to locate the remaining crew members.
