Search Reaches Endgame For Billionaire’s Titan Submersible Missing At Site Of Titanic Shipwreck
Rescue workers continue the hunt for the Titanic submersible with the oxygen supply on board expected to run out at 12.08pm, a US Coast Guard spokeswoman has said.
The vessel, named Titan, lost communication with tour operators on Sunday while about 435 miles south of St John’s, Newfoundland, during a voyage to the Titanic shipwreck off the coast of Canada.
The 6.7m-long OceanGate Expeditions vessel, which has British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding on board, reportedly had a 96-hour oxygen supply in case of emergencies.
Also in the undersea craft are UK-based businessman Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman Dawood, and OceanGate’s chief executive and founder Stockton Rush, reportedly with French submersible pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
As of Wednesday afternoon it was thought just 20 hours of oxygen remained in the vessel, meaning it would run out at some point on Thursday morning.
And a US coast guard spokeswoman has said it will exactly run out at 12.08pm today.
The US coast guard has been leading an international rescue effort which was stepped up after underwater noises were heard on Tuesday and again on Wednesday, although experts have been unable to determine the cause of the sound.
Former US Navy submarine commander, David Marquet, told the BBC the noises may not be coming from the submersible.
“I don’t think the noise is them, it could just be natural sounds,” he said. “We’re hearing noises and more ships are coming into the area, and then we’re hearing more noises, and I don’t think that’s a coincidence.
One of the vessels sent to help search efforts is French research vessel L’Atalante which carries a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), Victor 6000.
This ROV has a capacity to lift the Titan ship to the surface.
Mirror
