Bhubaneswar: Following the sinking of the Panama-registered cargo ship MV Ocean Winner in the Bay of Bengal near the Odisha coastline, search teams have recovered a lifeboat identified with the vessel’s name, yet the fate of the 22 missing crew members remains unknown.

On Tuesday, sources reported that rescuers engaged in the search for the missing crew discovered an emergency beacon and the lifeboat; however, no survivors or the ship itself were located.

The lifeboat was found during a coordinated search operation that involved the Indian Coast Guard’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) and its Chinese counterpart. According to Coast Guard officials, there were no crew members inside the lifeboat.

Additionally, the Coast Guard vessel ICGS Varad confirmed the location of an emergency beacon linked to the missing cargo ship.

The MV Ocean Winner departed from Paradip Port on the night of August 20, transporting approximately 1,700 tonnes of iron ore to Singapore. It lost contact on August 22 while situated about 240 nautical miles off the coast of Odisha.

Onboard were 24 crew members, which included 20 from China, three from Myanmar, and one from Bangladesh. Two Chinese crew members were rescued from different life rafts by the merchant vessel MT AISOPOS on the same day the ship lost contact.

In the meantime, two Chinese vessels have joined the Indian Coast Guard and Navy in their ongoing search efforts for the missing crew members.