Odia merchant navy cadet goes missing from ship near Mauritius

Bhubaneswar: A 22-year-old merchant navy cadet from Bhadrak district has reportedly gone missing from a vessel in international waters near Mauritius, triggering concern among his family and prompting appeals for intervention by the state govt and the Centre. The missing cadet, Sarthak Mohapatra, of Kespur village in Bhadrak, served aboard MV EA Jersey, managed by Anglo-Eastern Ship Management. The vessel was en route from East Africa to Singapore when the incident took place on Feb 3.

According to the family, the shipping company informed them via email that Sarthak was last seen entering his designated cabin. When the ship’s chief officer later went to check on him, he was not found there. A subsequent attempt by another crew member to deliver breakfast also failed to locate him. Despite a thorough onboard search, he could not be traced.

The company further stated that the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), Mauritius, the nearest coast station, was immediately alerted about the incident.

Sarthak’s mother, Rasmita Mohapatra, said her son last spoke to her at around 8.30 pm on February 2, enquiring about her health. “He sounded completely normal and did not mention any stress,” she said, adding that the ship earlier sailed from China to East Africa and was returning via Singapore.

Sarthak joined the company in July 2025. Suspecting foul play, his parents sought urgent intervention from authorities. On Wednesday, family members met Odia language, literature and culture minister Suryabanshi Suraj and also received a call from MP Baijayant Panda, who assured them of taking up the matter with the Centre.

Officials of the Odisha Parivar directorate said the state govt was actively pursuing the case. Rasmita also appealed for help through social media platform X, tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Director General of Shipping, India, and authorities in Mauritius, Singapore, and the ministry of external affairs.

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