Two Chinese Sailors Rescued after Cargo Ship Sinks Off Odisha Coast.
Two Chinese sailors were rescued after a Panama-flagged cargo ship carrying iron ore sank off the Odisha coast yesterday, and search operations are ongoing for 22 other crew members whose fate is unknown.
The Indian Coast Guard said two survivors, Pan Tonglai and Chen Jianhe, were rescued from a liferaft on August 22 after the ship went missing in the sea. They were later brought safely to Paradip aboard Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Varad.
The survivors received medical treatment on their way to Odisha port. Once they had reached Paradip they were handed over to authorised representatives of the shipping company, officials said.
Two Survivors Brought Safely To Paradip
According to the Coast Guard, the two sailors were discovered in a liferaft during the ongoing maritime search operation. After their rescue, they were transported to Paradip on board ICGS Varad.
Both men received medical care onboard during the journey. Their health was checked before they were handed over to representatives authorised by the shipping company once the ship reached the port.
ICG CPRO Commandant Amit Uniyal said the handover was conducted in the presence of officials from the Bureau of Immigration and local police.
The rescue has been a major breakthrough in the operation; however, the majority of the vessel's crew is still unaccounted for.
Cargo Vessel Lost Contact After Leaving Paradip
The Panama-flagged cargo ship departed from Paradip around 10:30 pm on August 20 after loading approximately 1,700 tonnes of iron ore fines. The ship was heading to China when it lost contact with authorities.
The ship was reported to have gone out of communication around 200 nautical miles from the Odisha coast. The loss of contact led Indian maritime authorities to launch a joint search-and-rescue operation.
The Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy deployed assets as efforts began to locate the vessel and its crew. Since then, there has been both sea and aerial surveillance.
24 crew members were reported to be on board.
The vessel had 24 crew members when it left Paradip. The crew consisted of 20 Chinese nationals, one Bangladeshi national and three Myanmar nationals.
But with only two sailors rescued so far, the authorities are trying to find the remaining 22 crew members.
The circumstances of the ship’s sinking are not yet firmly established. Maritime authorities are trying to find survivors and gather information that might help us understand what happened after the ship disappeared.
Coast Guard, Navy Continue Search Operation
Commandant Amit Uniyal said in a statement that “Coordinated sea and air search operations are ongoing to locate the missing crew members”.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Sri Vijaya Puram is working closely with the various organisations involved in the search and rescue. This continued deployment of maritime and aerial resources is indicative of the scale of the operation due to the distance of the incident from the Odisha coast.
The search is being done while authorities assess information emerging from the rescue of the two Chinese sailors.
The discovery of Pan Tonglai and Chen Jianhe in a liferaft several hours after the ship lost contact has raised hopes that other crew members could also be located. Rescue teams are therefore continuing operations at sea and from the air.
For now, authorities are focused on finding the 22 missing crew members. So far, the two rescued Chinese sailors are in the care of authorised representatives here in Paradip, while the search teams are trying to locate those still missing.
