Multinational search races to find missing Titan submarine with just 40 hours of oxygen left for passengers
With just 40 hours of oxygen left, a multinational search effort is underway for the missing Titan submarine, which vanished mysteriously while taking tourists to view the Titanic wreckage. Today, news reports indicated that US and Canadian rescue teams are racing against time to locate and save the five people aboard the vessel, which has been out of contact since June 18.
The remaining hours for the five passengers aboard the OceanGate Titan submarine are estimated to be less than 40, based on the oxygen supply available in the vessel. Extensive search and rescue efforts continue, with the United States deploying planes, equipment, and experts in support of the operation, which now spans an area of 19,650 square metres, larger than the US state of Connecticut.
Apart from the US and Canada, the French research vessel Atalante has also joined the search operation, after receiving a request for assistance. The Atalante is equipped with the autonomous robot Victor 6000, which can dive deep enough to reach the submerged Titanic site. The vessel is expected to arrive at the search area at around 7am yesterday.
The Canadian Ministry of Defence has also dispatched multiple vessels to aid the search operation in addition to the two already at the scene. Among them is the HMCS Glace Bay, which houses a medical team of diving medicine specialists and a decompression chamber to treat or prevent illnesses related to sudden pressure changes.
Since 2018, underwater experts have expressed concerns to OceanGate’s founder and CEO Stockton Rush, owner of the missing Titan submarine and reportedly one of the five passengers onboard. The experts were worried about the company’s approach to building the Titan submarine and had warned of potential risks resulting from its design. OceanGate dismissed these concerns as misunderstandings about industry safety standards and called for a programme to test prototype submarines.
In response to the expert letter, an OceanGate spokesperson declined to comment on the news report.
