Hopes fade for 22 missing crew of sunken Panama-flagged bulk carrier MV Ocean Winner in Bay of Bengal

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The search and rescue operation for the sunken Panama-flagged bulk carrier in the Bay of Bengal has been expanded to cover a wider area, as hopes of finding the 22 remaining crew members alive diminish with every passing hour.

Despite days-long search operations in the Bay of Bengal, neither the debris of the ill-fated vessel nor any of its 22 missing crew members could be traced, an Indian Coast Guard (ICG) spokesperson said on Monday (August 24, 2026).

The Indian Navy and the ICG are jointly coordinating the search and rescue operation about 700 km east of Visakhapatnam in the Bay of Bengal.

“On 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,” said Commandant Amit Uniyal, ICG spokesperson.

According to Commandant Uniyal, apart from an oil slick detected near the reported position of the vessel and two floating liferafts spotted by the Indian Navy’s P-8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft, no other trace of the vessel or its crew has been found.

He said the search area was being expanded as the operation progressed, with the passage of time making the rescue effort increasingly challenging.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), Vijaya Puram, had received information about the loss of communication with MV Ocean Winner (IMO 9145530) and a request for search and rescue at 11:48 a.m. on August 22, 2026. Subsequently, a merchant vessel sailing nearby was diverted to the location, resulting in the immediate rescue of two crew members.

Thereafter, coordinated search and rescue efforts by the Indian Navy and ICG have yielded no further success.

MV Ocean Winner had 24 crew members on board, comprising 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi national.

The bulk carrier MV Ocean Winner has an overall length of 225 metres and a beam of 32.26 metres, with a cargo-carrying capacity of around 73,000 tonnes.

The vessel is owned by a company based in Fujian, China and is covered by Protection and Indemnity (P&I) insurance, which provides compensation for loss of life and other liabilities.

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