Odisha family seeks help from CM and Central Government:

Bhubaneswar/Bhadrak. A promising young man from Odisha’s Bhadrak district, who was starting his career in the Merchant Navy, has gone missing in international waters. Sarthak Mohapatra, who is on a ship named ‘EA Jersey’ ‘deck Cadet’ Suddenly disappeared while on duty. There is chaos in his house after this news. The family members have written a letter to the Chief Minister of Odisha and the Central Government, demanding immediate intervention in the matter.

Accident happened while returning from Mauritius to China

Sarthak Mohapatra was working with a private ship management company (Anglo Eastern) in Mumbai since July 2025. According to the information, Sarthak’s ship had gone from China to West Africa and was returning back to China via Singapore. Meanwhile, Sarthak was reported missing in the sea route between Mauritius and China. A missing report in this regard has been lodged at Shaheednagar Police Station, Bhubaneswar on 5th February.

Mother’s emotional appeal: ‘We need transparent investigation and CCTV footage’

Sarthak’s mother, Rashmita Mohapatra, has sought help from the Prime Minister, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Director General of Shipping through a letter to the Chief Minister as well as through social media. He said emotionally:

Last conversation: Sarthak spoke to his mother and friends normally on 2 February. No one had any idea that this would be their last conversation.

claim check: Rashmita has asked for transparency in the investigation, access to CCTV footage of the ship and information about Sarthak’s personal belongings.

Waiting for update: Company representative Rajnandini Kochi has told the family that the search is ongoing and the ship is expected to reach Singapore by 12 or 13 February.

Friends expressed doubt: ‘No clue found since February 3 morning’

Sarthak’s friend Saswat told that both of them were in constant touch. Along with his internship, Sarthak was also studying ‘Diploma in Nautical Science’ (DNS). According to Saswat, Sarthak was absolutely fine in the conversation on February 2, but at 6 am on February 3, the company reported him missing.

[Image: A merchant navy vessel sailing through deep blue waters, representing the challenging environment where search operations are currently underway]

Demands of the family from the government and the company:

Demand	Description
transparent investigation	Interrogation of the officers and crew present on the ship at the time of the incident.
CCTV access	Close examination of footage from cameras installed on the deck of the ship.
constant updates	Up-to-the-minute information to the family from central and state government officials.
diplomatic assistance	Intervention of the Ministry of External Affairs as it was a matter of international waters.