Bhubaneswar/Kendrapada: Two Chinese seafarers from the ill‑fated cargo vessel MV Ocean Winner, which sank in the Bay of Bengal on Aug 22, were formally handed over to their employer at Paradip port in Jagatsinghpur district on Thursday.The Panama‑flagged 225-metre bulk carrier arrived at Paradip port on Aug 15 from Ruwais port in Abu Dhabi, carrying 69,299.889 metric tonnes of sulphur.On Aug 21, carrying about 71,200 MT of iron ore fines and manned by 24 crew members, it sailed from Paradip port at 12.16 am. Its destination was Dalian in China.Tragedy struck the next day, and the 28-year-old ship went down nearly 700 km east of Visakhapatnam. That same evening, a joint team of Indian Coast Guard and Navy rescued two Chinese nationals — Pan Tonglai and Chen Jianhe, both in their 50s — from a life raft. On arrival at Paradip port Thursday, they underwent routine medical checks.A team from the ministry of shipping and the directorate general of maritime administration, which reached Paradip on Wednesday to probe the disaster, recorded their testimony. Officials investigating the circumstances of the sinking declined to share details.“Indian Coast Guard ship Varad safely brought the two Chinese survivors to Paradip. Rescued from a life raft on Aug 22, they received medical care onboard during transit and were handed over to authorised company representatives in the presence of immigration and local police officials,” said commandant Amit Uniyal, chief spokesperson of Indian Coast Guard.He added that coordinated sea and air search operations remain in full swing to trace the 22 missing crew — 18 Chinese nationals, three from Myanmar and one Bangladeshi. “The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre at Sri Vijaya Puram (formerly Port Blair) is continuously directing all participating assets, including two Chinese vessels engaged in the mission, though survival chances have diminished,” another Coast Guard official said.During an aerial search on Tuesday, a naval aircraft picked up a distress transmission in the search zone and guided Varad to the location. The ship recovered an emergency beacon later confirmed to belong to MV Ocean Winner. A damaged lifeboat linked to the sunken vessel was found in the area, but no survivors were sighted.