Industry Odisha Bureau, Aug 27: Two Chinese crew members rescued after the Panama-flagged cargo vessel MV Ocean Winner sank off the Odisha coast are being questioned as search operations continue for the 22 others still missing.
The survivors, Pan Tonglai and Chen Jianhe, were rescued from life rafts on August 22 and brought to Paradip by the Indian Coast Guard. They are currently with authorised company representatives and are under medical care. Police sources said they are being questioned about the circumstances surrounding the sinking and are expected to be later handed over to the Chinese embassy.
MV Ocean Winner sank late Sunday night around 230 nautical miles (425 km) from Odisha’s Paradip. Officials said the vessel developed a severe tilt and sank within about eight minutes.
As per information, the ship was carrying more than 72,000 tonnes of iron ore from Odisha to China and had departed Paradip Port early Friday. Of the 24 crew members, 20 were Chinese, three were from Myanmar and one was from Bangladesh.
The Coast Guard and other agencies continue coordinated sea and air search operations for the missing crew. The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), Sri Vijay Puram, is coordinating with participating agencies. This includes China’s MRCC Beijing, which has deployed two merchant vessels.
An emergency beacon and an empty lifeboat were also recovered from the search area on Tuesday. However, the cause of the vessel’s sudden sinking is yet to be established.
