(Finance) – “No results” so far in the search for the Titan, the tourist submarine of OceanGate Expeditions which has been missing since last Sunday after its dive towards the wreck of the Titanic at a depth of 3,800 meters off the Canadian coast. To the five passengers – the Boston Coast Guard spokesman Jamie Frederick – at 1pm today, 41 hours of oxygen remained, assuming the integrity of the hull hasn’t been damaged by the enormous underwater pressure or an accident. The spokesman also reported the dispatch of a remotely controlled naval vehicle (ROV) towards the last location of the Titan. Vehicles from the Canadian Coast Guard and other US Navy vessels are also expected on the spot.
However, the hypothesis that the mini submarine may have resurfaced and has not yet been located is not excluded. A hope that clashes with the thorough inspections carried out by American and Canadian ships and aircraft – said the Rear Admiral John Mauger, Chief of the US Northeast Coast Guard who leads the relief effort – over an area of 13,000 square kilometers, the size of Connecticut. The searches have also begun underwater: remote-controlled vehicles are being used which make it possible to search and recover objects in the abyss up to 6 thousand meters deep while a Canadian P-3 plane has dropped sound buoys in the area where the Titanic sank which can record any sounds emitted by the submarine up to 3,962 meters deep. “We are deploying all available resources to ensure we can locate the vessel and rescue those on board,” Mauger assured.
France will also participate in the efforts. L’French oceanographic institute Ifremer hijacked his ship Atalante, equipped with a submarine robot, towards the search area. His arrival is scheduled for Wednesday. The Polar Prince, the vessel assisting the mission, lost contact with the Titan about an hour and 45 minutes into the dive, when she should have been more than halfway through.
On board the shipment of 250 thousand dollars each, there were five people: the 58-year-old British millionaire Hamish Harding (who last year flew into space aboard the fifth commercial flight of Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ space company), the Pakistani businessman living in London Shahzada Dawood with his son Suleman, the 77-year-old French explorer and submarine pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet And Stockton Rushfounder and CEO of OceanGate, the company that owns the Titan.