Empty Lifeboat Recovered in Search for Ocean Winner's Missing Crew
Investigators are examining whether 72,200 tonnes of iron ore fines liquefied after heavy rain
The Indian Coast Guard, working with the Indian Navy, has intensified the search for 22 crew members missing from a bulk carrier believed to have sunk in the Bay of Bengal on Saturday. Additional resources have been deployed, but the Coast Guard said hope was fading after a lifeboat from the vessel was searched and found empty.
A reconnaissance aircraft from the Indian Navy picked up a distress signal from the Panama-flagged Ocean Winner and visually located three lifeboats and rafts. The aircraft passed the coordinates to the Coast Guard, and the patrol vessel ICGS Varad reached the position. It recovered the ship's emergency beacon and searched a damaged lifeboat, but no one was aboard.
The Navy also reported an oil slick believed to be coming from the lost vessel. The position lies approximately 230 nautical miles off the Odisha coast. Ocean Winner, of 72,928 dwt, had departed Paradip on 20 August bound for Singapore. Built in 1998, the ship is managed by a Chinese company and was last inspected in June, with the reported deficiencies relating to fire safety.
Two crew members were recovered alive from life rafts late on Saturday by the tanker Aisopos. Their account is the closest thing investigators have to a sequence of events: the ship took on a sudden list on Saturday morning, and it was possibly no more than eight minutes before it began sinking. The crew said the vessel had been holding off Paradip since 3 August and had experienced significant heavy rain during that period, before proceeding to load 72,200 tonnes of iron ore fines.
Suspicion is focusing on possible liquefaction of the cargo, although Coast Guard officials emphasise that no cause has been determined. They noted that prescribed transportable moisture limits apply to such cargoes and that wet loading of iron ore is prohibited, and said the conditions during loading would be investigated. Weeks at anchor through heavy rain followed by a rapid load is the combination that moisture-limit rules exist to catch.
The ship carried 24 crew, including 20 Chinese nationals, three from Myanmar and one from Bangladesh. The two rescued crew members are reported to be Chinese. Coast Guard vessels Anmol and Vijit have joined Varad in the search area, along with two merchant ships.
