PARADIP: The week-long search and rescue (SAR) operation for 22 missing crew members of Panama-flagged bulk carrier MV Ocean Winner has been called off, with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) reportedly presuming the seafarers dead.
The termination of the SAR operation has shifted the focus to the cause of the maritime tragedy and the circumstances that led to the sinking of the 28-year-old vessel in the Bay of Bengal on August 22, shortly after it sailed from Paradip Port with around 72,000 tonnes of iron ore bound for China through Singapore.
Of the 24-member crew, only two Chinese nationals were rescued from a life raft. The remaining 22 crew members, including Chinese, Myanmar and Bangladeshi nationals, remain untraced.
The week-long operation 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.
The two rescued Chinese seafarers were subsequently deported to China through Kolkata after completion of immigration and other formalities on Saturday. Their accounts are expected to be crucial to the investigation into the circumstances preceding the sinking.
Meanwhile, police reportedly are yet to register an FIR in connection with the maritime casualty. The absence of a police case has raised eyebrows among maritime stakeholders, who have sought clarity from the authorities on the legal action initiated in the aftermath of the tragedy.