India’s coast guard has rescued all 18 crew from a Taiwanese cargoship that sank on Saturday in cyclone Phailin.
According to Kolkata port officials, the men from the 8,700-dwt Bingo (built 2007) were spotted on Saturday in a life raft, but the operation to pick them up was delayed due to bad weather and rough seas.
They were finally brought to safety on Monday.
A total of 17 of the seafarers were Chinese nationals and one is from Myanmar.
The vessel, carrying 3,000 tonnes of iron ore, went down near Sagar Island on the east coast.
Port officials believe Bingo might have sunk due to a technical problem in its engine as it sailed away from Haldia Dock on Saturday morning to reach the open seas to avoid the cyclone.
But officials say that despite extensive search operations the sunken vessel is yet to be spotted.
It is thought to have nearly 232 tonnes of furnace oil and 30 tonnes of diesel.
The Panamanian-flagged ship is owned by Taiwan’s Wisdom Marine and has P&I coverage from Steamship Mutual.
Cyclone Phailin has been described as the strongest to hit India in 14 years, affecting nearly 12m people.
