Panama-Flagged Ocean Winner Sinks Off Odisha

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.

Loss of Contact and Life Raft Recovery

• About eight hours separated the 6:18 a.m. UTC loss-of-communication alert from the 2:30 p.m. UTC recovery of two crew members off two separate life-rafts.

• The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre activated the Indian Search and Rescue network on the same alert, then diverted a tanker already in the Bay rather than waiting for the first government hull to arrive.

• Twenty-two crew remained unaccounted for as of 11:44 a.m. UTC August 23, and the Coast Guard update still named only Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Varad, ICGS Anmol and ICGS Vijit as assigned government ships.

• Coast Guard statements give the cargo as iron ore and the next port as Singapore, matching commercial voyage data, while cargo weight remains unpublished by that service.

Indian Coast Guard Search Operation

No Indian Coast Guard statement has given a cause for the loss of the ship. No pollution or wreckage details have been released. Other vessels in the area were asked to assist.

MT Aisopos, IMO 9987029, is a Marshall Islands-flagged crude oil tanker of about 127,612 short tons (115,800 metric tons) deadweight, in the Aframax size class used for large crude runs. Shipnext listed that tanker in the Bay of Bengal near 17.24 north, 89.46 east while bound from Fujairah to Chittagong when it was diverted. That position sits in the same basin as the last-known bearing given for Ocean Winner.

The Indian Coast Guard operational update names only the three Coast Guard ships. Separate official identification of named Indian Navy units assigned to this case has not been published as of 11:44 a.m. UTC August 23.

Varad is homeported at Paradip, the same port Ocean Winner left. Anmol is a 164-foot (50-meter) fast patrol vessel commissioned in 2015 and long associated with Haldia operations in the Bay of Bengal. Vijit sailed from Sri Vijaya Puram, which is also the location of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre that took the case.

Locations Affected

• Paradip Port, Odisha: 20.32, 86.61. Last port of call. The ship departed the night of August 20 for Singapore.

• Last-known search area, Bay of Bengal: Indian Coast Guard last-known position, bearing 317 degrees, 310 nautical miles from East Island Light (13.63, 93.05). Shipnext listed MT Aisopos near 17.24, 89.46 while diverted.

Official Statements

• Indian Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, August 22: “On 22 Aug 26 at 1148 hrs MRCC (SVP) received information regarding loss of communication with MV Ocean Winner (IMO 9145530), with 24 (20 Chinese, 03 Myanmar, 01 Bangladeshi) crew onboard, and a request for SAR assistance from Victory Star Group Co Ltd. The vessel’s last known position was 317 East Island Lt 310 NM. MRCC (SVP) activated ISN and diverted MT AISOPOS to search for the vessel/liferafts and render assistance, and the vessel recovered two survivors from two liferafts at about 2000 hrs. ICGS Varad and ICGS Anmol were deployed for SAR efforts, while ICGS Vijit was also deployed from Sri Vijaya Puram to augment the operation.”