Bhubaneswar: A 22-year-old merchant navy cadet from Odisha’s Bhadrak district has gone missing while on duty aboard a cargo vessel near Mauritius waters, triggering an international maritime search operation and appeals for urgent government intervention.
The missing cadet, Sarthak Mahapatra, was serving with Anglo-Eastern Ship Management and was on board the vessel EA Jersey, which was sailing from West Africa to Singapore. According to information shared with the family, Mahapatra was last seen entering his cabin on the morning of February 3.
Company officials informed the family that when a routine inspection was carried out by the ship’s chief officer around 8.30 am, Mahapatra’s cabin was found empty. A vessel-wide search was immediately conducted, followed by a crew headcount that confirmed his absence. The exact circumstances under which the cadet went missing remain unclear.
The ship subsequently slowed down to carry out an intensive search in the surrounding waters. Maritime authorities were alerted, and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Mauritius was notified. Coordinated search efforts were launched in the area where the vessel was operating. Despite the search, no trace of Sarthak had been found as of the latest reports.
Family members said they last spoke to Mahapatra on February 2 through phone and video calls when the vessel was nearing Singapore. After that, repeated attempts to contact him failed, prompting growing concern.
Mahapatra’s mother, Rashmita Mohapatra, has appealed to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi and the state Director General of Police, seeking immediate intervention. She urged authorities to coordinate with central agencies and international maritime bodies to locate her son.
Political leaders have also expressed concern. Former Odisha chief minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik said he was deeply worried about the incident and urged the Directorate General of Shipping and the Ministry of External Affairs to provide urgent assistance and coordinate with all stakeholders to speed up the search.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das also called for intensified diplomatic and maritime efforts, urging External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to ensure close coordination with international agencies and full support to the cadet’s family.
Search operations are continuing, with authorities yet to report any breakthrough.
