Incident Overview

The bulk carrier OCEAN WINNER sank in the Bay of Bengal on August 21, 2026 after a distress alert and loss of communication. Of the 24 crew members aboard, two were rescued from separate liferafts; the search for the remaining 22 was continuing at the verification cut-off.

Incident Timeline

August 20: The vessel departed Paradip carrying 72,100 tonnes of iron ore fines.

August 21: The vessel capsized in the Bay of Bengal.

August 22: The maritime rescue coordination centre received notice of lost communication and a request for search-and-rescue assistance. The tanker AISOPOS recovered two survivors from two liferafts after aerial search assets located survival craft near the reported position.

Current status: Three coast guard ships and naval search assets were engaged. Twenty-two crew members remained unaccounted for at the verification cut-off.

Incident Factors

Verified reporting confirms loss of communication, subsequent sinking, the discovery of liferafts and an oil slick, and an ongoing search-and-rescue response. Authorities had not identified a technical, cargo-related, weather-related or human factor as the cause.

Track OCEAN WINNER live to monitor its current position and full route history in real time on ShipFinder.