Lifeboat of MV Ocean Winner recovered, no survivor found in Bay of Bengal: Coast Guard

Notwithstanding the considerable passage of time since the Panama-flagged bulk carrier, MV Ocean Winner, sank in the Bay of Bengal and the slim chances of survival of its crew, search and rescue operations for the missing crew members have been further intensified, with China joining the efforts.

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Notwithstanding the considerable passage of time since the Panama-flagged bulk carrier, MV Ocean Winner, sank in the Bay of Bengal and the slim chances of survival of its crew, search and rescue operations for the missing crew members have been further intensified, with China joining the efforts.“Search and rescue efforts for the missing crew members have been further augmented in coordination with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, Beijing. Additional Coast Guard assets and merchant vessels are being deployed and coordinated to intensify the search operation,” the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said in a statement on Tuesday.There was no trace of remaining 22 crew members, although parts of the vessel were recovered around the site.“ICGS Varad located a lifeboat of mv Ocean Winner in the search area. A boarding team inspected the lifeboat. However, no survivors were found,” the ICG said.Distress callOn August 22, two Chinese nationals were rescued after a distress call was received from mv Ocean Winner (IMO 9145530), which had sailed with iron ore from Paradip for China on August 20. The vessel sank at a location in the Bay of Bengal where the sea is extremely deep. There were 24 crew members on board, comprising 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi national. The fate of 22 crew members remained unknown.“ICGS Varad, in coordination with merchant vessels in the area, is undertaking an extensive search for the missing crew members. During an aerial search, a naval aircraft detected a distress transmission and guided ICGS Varad towards the reported location,” said an ICG spokesperson.“Subsequently, ICGS Varad recovered an emergency beacon from the area, which, on verification, was confirmed to be associated with mv Ocean Winner. Additional Coast Guard assets are being deployed to further augment the ongoing search and rescue efforts,” the ICG said. Published - August 25, 2026 08:58 pm IST