MV Ocean Winner Search: Empty Lifeboat Found, No Survivors As Coast Guard Intensifies Hunt For 22 Missing Crew
The search for 22 missing crew members of Panama-flagged bulk carrier MV Ocean Winner intensified on Tuesday after Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Varad located one of the vessel’s lifeboats in the Bay of Bengal. The lifeboat was found at around 7 am on August 25 in the search area. A boarding team inspected it but found no survivors inside, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the fate of the…
The search for the missing crew members of the Panama-flagged bulk carrier MV Ocean Winner intensified on August 25 after the Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Varad located one of the ship's lifeboats in the Bay of Bengal. The lifeboat was found at around 7 am, but a boarding team found no survivors on board, leaving the fate of the 22 crew members unknown.
The discovery came after the ICGS Varad recovered an emergency beacon believed to be linked to the missing vessel. The Indian Coast Guard and Navy, in coordination with maritime authorities, including MRCC Beijing, are intensifying the search operation, deploying additional Coast Guard assets, and coordinating with merchant vessels in the region.
The MV Ocean Winner sank rapidly in the Bay of Bengal on August 22 while carrying around 72,100 tonnes of iron ore fines and 24 crew members from China, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. Two crew members were rescued from liferafts by a merchant vessel, but the remaining 22 crew members have not been located as of the search operation's expansion.
The exact cause of the vessel's sinking remains under investigation, with reports suggesting a sudden list and maritime experts considering the possibility of liquefaction due to the iron ore fines cargo.
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