A search and rescue operation in the Bay of Bengal has been expanded to cover a wider area as hopes of finding the 22 remaining crew members of the sunken Panama-flagged bulk carrier MV Ocean Winner continue to dwindle. The operation, jointly coordinated by the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), has been ongoing since August 22, but so far, neither the debris of the vessel nor any of its missing crew members have been found.
The MV Ocean Winner, which had 24 crew members on board, sank in the Bay of Bengal on August 22, about 700 km east of Visakhapatnam. Two Chinese nationals were rescued after a distress call was received, but the remaining 22 crew members, comprising 18 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals, and one Bangladeshi national, remain missing. The vessel had sailed from Paradip with iron ore bound for China on August 20.
According to Commandant Amit Uniyal, ICG spokesperson, the search area is being expanded as the operation progresses, but the passage of time is making the rescue effort increasingly challenging. An oil slick was detected near the reported position of the vessel, and two floating liferafts were spotted by the Indian Navy’s P-8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft, but no other trace of the vessel or its crew has been found.
The MV Ocean Winner, owned by a company based in Fujian, China, has an overall length of 225 meters and a beam of 32.26 meters, with a cargo-carrying capacity of around 73,000 tonnes. The vessel is covered by Protection and Indemnity (P&I) insurance, which provides compensation for loss of life and other liabilities.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), Vijaya Puram, received information about the loss of communication with MV Ocean Winner and a request for search and rescue at 11:48 a.m. on August 22, 2026. A merchant vessel sailing nearby was diverted to the location, resulting in the immediate rescue of two crew members. Since then, coordinated search and rescue efforts by the Indian Navy and ICG have yielded no further success.
