Hopes fade for 22 missing crew as experts suspect cargo liquefaction

The Panama-flagged bulk carrier sank within about eight minutes with 24 crew aboard; experts say excess moisture in its iron ore fines cargo may have caused liquefaction

Two days after the Panama-flagged MV Ocean Winner sank in the Bay of Bengal, the fate of 22 seafarers remains uncertain. The Indian Coast Guard and Navy continued a coordinated search operation for the third consecutive day on Monday.

 

The 225-metre bulk carrier, carrying around 72,200 tonnes of iron ore fines loaded at Paradip Port, reportedly tilted suddenly before sinking within about eight minutes. While only two of the 24 crew members aboard the vessel were rescued from life rafts on the day it sank in the deep sea, the remaining 22 seafarers were missing.

 

Three Coast Guard ships and the Indian Navy’s surveillance aircraft P8I continued the search and rescue mission in coordination with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) at Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair). “But there was no trace of the missing crew members,” said a coast guard spokesperson.

 

Maritime experts said hopes are fading as the circumstances of the sinking have added another layer of uncertainty. According to statements from the two rescued seafarers recorded by the Directorate of Maritime Administration, the vessel developed a list and sank within about eight minutes, forcing the crew to abandon the ship.

 

Though the search continues, the chances of finding survivors generally decline sharply after the first 12 hours. The Indian Navy aircraft had spotted an oil slick and three liferafts around the vessel’s last known position, although the ship itself has not been located.

 

“Such a rapid loss of stability would have left very little time for the crew to organise an orderly evacuation. Those present in the engine room might not have had sufficient time to abandon the ship. There is a chance they got trapped inside the ship,” said Captain Prashant Kumar Padhi, who worked for a Dubai-based company.

 

The unusually rapid listing and sinking have also put the condition of the iron ore cargo under scrutiny, with experts and officials suspecting cargo liquefaction caused by excess moisture as a possible reason behind the mishap.

 

Liquefaction occurs when certain fine-grained bulk cargoes containing excessive moisture lose their solid-like properties under the movement and vibration of a ship and behave more like a liquid. The cargo can then flow towards one side as the vessel rolls, producing a sudden and potentially uncontrollable list.

 

Sources said the vessel had reportedly been waiting to load at Paradip since August 3, while the port area experienced heavy rainfall in the days preceding its loading. If the iron ore fines had absorbed excessive moisture during prolonged exposure to rain, experts said the cargo’s moisture content and transportable moisture limit would be crucial factors in determining whether liquefaction occurred after the ship sailed.

 

Authorities have not officially concluded that liquefaction caused the sinking. “Wet iron ore fines can shift suddenly during vessel movement, producing a list and potentially triggering a rapid loss of stability. There is a prescribed transportable moisture limit, and loading wet iron ore fines beyond that limit is not allowed. This must be properly investigated to see if all procedures and guidelines were followed,” Padhi said.  

 

Meanwhile, the National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) has expressed deep concern over the incident, stressing that the safety of seafarers must never be compromised. The union has called for all possible efforts to locate and rescue the missing crew, demanding proper safety standards and protection for seafarers working aboard international merchant vessels.