Search Continues for 22 Crew After Panama-Flagged Bulk Carrier Sinks

General17 sourcesAug 24, 2026

ConsensusFactual rigor 50/100

The Story

Search continues for 22 crew members from the Panama-flagged bulk carrier M.V. Ocean Winner that sank in the Bay of Bengal off Odisha.

Two Chinese crew members were rescued after 24 hours of intensive search and rescue operations by the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard (ICG). The Indian Navy aircraft P8I located a geographically dispersed liferaft and coordinated with merchant vessel MT Aisopos, which rescued the two crew members by late evening on August 22. The M.V. Ocean Winner had 24 crew onboard, consisting of 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmarese nationals, and one Bangladeshi national.

The vessel was carrying 72,100 tonnes of iron ore fines from Odisha and left Paradip Port late on August 20, 2026, headed to Singapore. The ship sank approximately 700 kilometers east of Visakhapatnam, around 230 nautical miles from the Paradip coast of Odisha, and about 445 kilometers from Paradip port. 36 hours after the ship’s departure, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) received information that communication with the vessel was lost and a request for a search and rescue operation.

The MV Ocean Winner issued a distress alert while southeast off the port of Paradip on Saturday before contact was lost. The ICG intensified search and rescue operations after the MV Ocean Winner sank on August 22. The Navy continues to coordinate with the ICG in the operation.

What they agree on

A Panama-flagged bulk carrier, the M.V. Ocean Winner, sank in the Bay of Bengal.
The vessel had 24 crew members onboard, and two have been rescued.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing for the remaining 22 missing crew members.
The Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard are conducting the search and rescue operations.
The M.V. Ocean Winner left Paradip Port on August 20, 2026, carrying iron ore.

Where they split

The Hindu specifies the rescued crew members are Chinese, a detail not explicitly mentioned by all other outlets.
The Hindu and The National provide different distances for the sinking location relative to Paradip port, with The Hindu stating "around 230 nautical miles" and The National reporting "about 445km."
The Hindu provides a detailed account of the Indian Navy's P8I aircraft and coordination with MT Aisopos in the rescue, while other sources offer more general descriptions of the search efforts.