Four Days On, Beacon Found, Lifeboat Empty: 22 Sailors Still Missing Off Odisha Coast

The search for 22 sailors missing after the Panama-flagged cargo vessel MV Ocean Winner sank off the Odisha coast has entered a critical phase, with Indian and Chinese authorities stepping up efforts to locate the crew.

The vessel, carrying around 72,000 tonnes of iron ore fines to China via Singapore, sank on August 22 with 24 crew members aboard. Two Chinese sailors were rescued after being found floating in liferafts, but there has been no confirmed sighting of the remaining 22.

The Indian Coast Guard and Navy have expanded the search zone, suspecting that strong currents and rough waves may have carried the missing sailors far from the sinking location. The operation is being coordinated with China's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Beijing, while additional Coast Guard assets, merchant ships and two Chinese vessels are assisting.

A major breakthrough came when ICGS Varad located a lifeboat from MV Ocean Winner after a Navy aircraft detected a distress transmission. However, a boarding team found no survivors inside. The Coast Guard later recovered an emergency beacon that was confirmed to belong to the vessel.

Meanwhile, questions are emerging over how the 225-metre bulk carrier sank so rapidly. Reports suggest the vessel may have tilted sharply before disappearing within roughly eight minutes. Maritime experts are examining whether cargo liquefaction, in which moisture causes certain bulk cargoes to behave like a fluid, could have contributed to the disaster. The cause, however, remains unconfirmed.

The two rescued sailors are receiving treatment aboard a Coast Guard vessel and are expected to be brought to Paradip.

The missing crew comprise 20 Chinese, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi. Rescue teams continue to scour the Bay of Bengal in a race against time.