The Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Varad on Thursday safely brought two Chinese survivors of the Panama-flagged bulk carrier MV Ocean Winner to Paradip, Odisha, nearly a week after the vessel sank in the Bay of Bengal. The two survivors, Pan Tonglai and Chen Jianhe, were rescued from a liferaft on August 22 and received medical care during their transit to the coast.
The MV Ocean Winner was carrying 24 crew members, comprising 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmarese and one Bangladeshi, when it sank in the Bay of Bengal. The vessel was carrying iron ore from Odisha and had Paradip as its last port of call, with Singapore listed as its next port of call.
Following the incident, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Sri Vijaya Puram diverted the nearby commercial vessel MT Aisopos to search for the vessel and any available liferafts. Two crew members were subsequently rescued on the night of August 22.
After being rescued, the two survivors were transferred to the Coast Guard for their return journey. The ICG said they received medical attention onboard ICGS Varad before being brought safely to Paradip. Upon arrival, they were handed over to authorised representatives of the shipping company in the presence of Bureau of Immigration and local police officials.
Meanwhile, search and rescue operations continue for the remaining 22 crew members who are still missing. The Indian Coast Guard and other participating agencies are conducting coordinated sea and air search operations to locate the missing seafarers.
The rescue effort has also been expanded through coordination with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Beijing, while additional Coast Guard assets and merchant vessels have been deployed to intensify the search. The Coast Guard had earlier deployed ICGS Varad, Anmol and Vijit for the operation.
The Coast Guard had also located a lifeboat belonging to MV Ocean Winner during the search operation on August 25. However, the boarding team found no survivors on board, and the search for the missing crew members remains underway.
The incident has triggered a large-scale maritime search and rescue operation in the Bay of Bengal, with Indian authorities continuing efforts to locate the missing crew and determine the circumstances surrounding the sinking of the bulk carrier.
