INDIA — The Indian Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Sri Vijaya Puram received information at 6:18 a.m. UTC on August 22 that communication had been lost with the Panama-flagged bulk carrier MV Ocean Winner, IMO 9145530, and that the vessel sank in the Bay of Bengal.
Commandant Amit Uniyal, an Indian Coast Guard spokesperson, stated the ship carried 24 crew members consisting of 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi national, plus a cargo of iron ore.
The last known position in that Coast Guard update was 317 degrees from East Island Light at 310 nautical miles. A nearby commercial tanker, MT Aisopos, was diverted and recovered two survivors from two life-rafts at about 2:30 p.m. UTC.
Indian Coast Guard ships Varad and Anmol were deployed for search and rescue, and Vijit sailed from Sri Vijaya Puram as a third assigned hull.
The ship left Paradip Port on the night of August 20 bound for Singapore. The registered owner, commercial manager and International Safety Management manager is Ocean Winner Shipping Co Ltd of Fuzhou, Fujian, China, a one-ship company.
Victory Star Group Co Ltd submitted the search-and-rescue request to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre.
The India Meteorological Department high-seas forecast covering the Bay of Bengal for August 22 carried no storm warning.
An upper-air cyclonic circulation lay over the north Bay off the West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts, with a low-pressure area expected to form in the following 24 hours.
Threat Level
THREAT LEVEL: 5 LOW (unchanged)
The incident is an isolated commercial casualty with no claimed hostile act, no reported pollution, and no involvement of U.S. vessels, aircraft or personnel.
Assets named in the Indian Coast Guard operational update are three Coast Guard ships plus the diverted tanker MT Aisopos.
The level would rise if an official investigation established a hostile cause, if pollution or wreckage obstructed shipping lanes. It would stay at 5 LOW if the remaining crew are found without further incident and the cause is determined to be a marine casualty.
