OCEAN WINNER
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85 days ago
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SAR operation terminated
The week-long SAR operation for the 22 missing crew members of the 'Ocean Winner' has been called off, with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) reportedly presuming the seafarers dead. The termination of the SAR operation has shifted the focus to the cause of the shipwreck and the circumstances that led to the sinking of the 28-year-old vessel in the Bay of Bengal on Aug 22. The SAR operation had involved ICG ships, Indian Navy aircraft and vessels and merchant ships, besides two Chinese vessels. An empty lifeboat and an emergency beacon linked to the vessel were recovered during the operation, but no further survivors could be located.
Survivors of ship loss on their way home after recounting ordeal
The two Chinese crew members Pan Tonglai and Chen Jianheng, who were rescued from the 'Ocean Winner' have left Paradip and travelled to Kolkata with the assistance of the ship's agency. From Kolkata, the two sailors were scheduled to travel to China, where they were to be handed over to the Chinese Embassy. The Indian Coast Guard vessel 'Varad' brought the two sailors safely ashore after they were rescued from the sea. Following their arrival, they were handed over to representatives of the shipping company and immigration officials. During questioning by investigating agencies, it was around 10:30 p.m. when they were resting at their duty station on the upper deck, while several other crew members were inside the ship, a loud sound was followed by an emergency siren. By that time, the vessel had already submerged by around 30 to 40 %, leaving the crew surrounded by darkness and rapidly rising water. A total of ten crew members jumped into the sea in an attempt to escape. Within just eight to ten minutes, they witnessed 14 crew members disappear into the sea along with the vessel. Pan Tonglai and Chen Jianheng managed to reach a life raft, which helped them survive. The other eight people who jumped into the water were swept into the deep sea amid the strong whirlpool created as the vessel sank. The 'Ocean Winner' sank within a very short period because of heavy rolling in the sea. So far, there was no confirmed information about the whereabouts of the remaining crew members or the exact location where the vessel sank. The search operation was continued with two Chinese vessels and two aircraft of the Chinese Navy.
Survivors of Ocean Winner taken to Paradip
The two Chinese crew members of the 'Ocean Winner', identified as Pan Tonglai and Chen Jianhe, were safely brought to Paradip on Aug 27 aboard the Indian Coast Guard vessel 'Varad'. The two survivors received medical assistance during their journey to Paradip. After reaching the port, they were handed over to authorised representatives of the vessel's company in the presence of officials from the Bureau of Immigration and local police. Meanwhile, the Indian Coast Guard has deployed additional ships and aircraft to intensify the coordinated sea and air search for the remaining 20 crew members. The MRCC Sri Vijaya Puram continued to coordinate the SAR operation. A team from the Directorate General of Shipping, Kolkata, comprising a senior official and two surveyors from the Mercantile Marine Department (MMD), has arrived in Paradip to investigate the circumstances leading to the vessel’s disappearance shortly after it left Paradip. The inquiry assumed significance amid questions over the vessel’s cargo and stability. The 'Ocean Winner' had arrived at Paradip with around 69,299 tonne of sulphur from the UAE for unloading at Paradip Phosphates Ltd. After unloading, it reportedly loaded around 72,200 tonne of iron ore before departing. The investigators were expected to examine the vessel’s actual draft, stability calculations, loading records, moisture certificates, hatch-cover conditions and voyage data recorder to establish the sequence of events. Report with photo: https://www.millenniumpost.in/big-stories/more-than-300-indians-missing-in-flash-floods-says-nepal-foreign-minister-673777
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