Singapore-Bound Cargo Ship With 24 Crew Members Sinks Off Odisha Coast

A Panama-flagged cargo ship sank around 240 nautical miles off the Odisha coast on Saturday.

The vessel, MV Ocean-Winner, had set sail from Odisha's Paradip Port at around 10.30 pm on 20 August, carrying 1,700 tonnes of iron ore.

The ship had 24 crew members on board: 20 from China, three from Myanmar and one from Bangladesh. It was on its way to Singapore, carrying a cargo of iron ore loaded from Odisha, according to officials.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Sri Vijaya Puram received word at 11.48 am on 22 August that communication with the vessel had been lost. The alert, along with a request for search and rescue assistance, came from Victory Star Group Co Ltd, the company operating the ship.

The Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy have launched a joint rescue operation following the sinking.

Coast Guard ships Varad and Anmol were sent to take part in the search and rescue effort, while a third vessel, Vijit, was also deployed from Sri Vijaya Puram to support the operation.

A senior IPS officer told PTI, "We are not sure how many of the crew members have been rescued."

He added that other ships in the area have also been alerted and asked to help with the rescue effort.

(With inputs from news agency PTI)