Safety

Search continues for 22 missing crew from sunken cargo ship MV Ocean Winner in Bay of Bengal

24 August 2026
3 sources

Indian Coast Guard and Navy have intensified search‑and‑rescue operations in the Bay of Bengal after the Panama‑flagged cargo vessel MV Ocean Winner sank. An emergency beacon, an empty lifeboat, two life rafts and an oil slick have been located, but 22 crew remain missing while two seafarers were rescued earlier.

As of August 25–26, 2026, the Indian Coast Guard reported recovering an emergency position‑indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) and locating an empty lifeboat and two life rafts associated with the Panama‑flagged cargo vessel MV Ocean Winner, which sank in the Bay of Bengal about 444 km off Paradip on India’s east coast. Two of the 24 crew members had been rescued earlier from life rafts, but the remaining 22 seafarers, including several Chinese nationals, are still missing. Search aircraft and ships from the Coast Guard and Indian Navy are combing the deep‑water area marked by an oil slick and scattered debris, though the extreme depths and conditions complicate the operation.

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