Search Ended for MV Ocean Winner; 22 Crew Presumed Dead

The Indian Coast Guard called off the search for the 22 missing crew of MV Ocean Winner on September 1, ten days after the bulk carrier sank in the Bay of Bengal. The 22 seafarers are now presumed dead.

MV Ocean Winner departed Paradip Port, Odisha, on August 22 with 24 crew and roughly 72,000 tonnes of iron ore bound for China. The bulk carrier sank shortly after departure. Two crew members, both Chinese nationals, were found on a life raft and rescued. The remaining 22 were not located.

The search involved the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, the Indian Coast Guard, the Indian Navy, merchant traffic in the area and two Chinese rescue units. The operation covered a wide stretch of the Bay of Bengal. Rescuers recovered an empty lifeboat and the emergency beacon.

No further survivors were found. MRCC and the ICG formally suspended the search on September 1. The two survivors were repatriated to China via Kolkata.

The cause of the sinking remains under investigation. No formal police complaint has been filed.