Time is running out for five on board the missing submarine Titanic: also, a very wealthy Pakistani businessman (48) and son (19) on board, according to family. Rescue submarine NATO cannot reach the required depth.
In a race against time, the US and Canadian Coast Guards, together with the Canadian Air Force and private vessels, are still engaged in the search and rescue mission of a submarine missing since Sunday morning in the Atlantic Ocean. It was on its way to the wreck of the Titanic with five passengers. The family already confirmed that British billionaire Hamish Harding (58) is on board, just like Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood (48) and his son Suleman (19). The submarine would have been right above the sunken ship when communication failed. Follow all updates in our live blog.
What do we know so far?
The OceanGate Expeditions submarine went missing at a depth of about 4 kilometers, in a very remote area about 1,450 kilometers off the coast of Cape Cod in the US state of Massachusetts.
Departed Sunday morning (local time) to visit the wreck of the Titanic on the seabed, but contact with the submarine was lost after only 1 hour and 45 minutes. Normally the expedition takes 8 to 10 hours: about two hours to descend, about four hours on-site, and about two hours to ascend again.
Five occupants on board. The family of British billionaire and adventurer Hamish Harding (58) and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman have already confirmed that they are on board. Harding himself also mentioned French submarine pilot Paul-Henry Nargeolet in a social media post. British media also says that the founder and CEO of OceanGate Expeditions Stockton Rush is also on board.
The US and Canadian Coast Guards are working with the Canadian Air Force and private vessels on a search and rescue mission.
It’s a race against time: the oxygen on board is slowly running out. At 5 p.m. local time on Monday, the missing submarine was estimated to have 70 to 96 hours of oxygen on board.
According to the coastguard, the search is complicated by the fact that the missing ship may not have surfaced.
Coast Guard must use sonar to search below the sea surface. However, it is also possible that the submarine has surfaced again and cannot make contact.
It’s too early to say exactly what happened. There is debris all over the ocean floor, making it dangerous. Another possibility is that there is a leak in the hull of the submarine. In that case, the prospects are not good for the occupants.
British billionaire’s last post on Instagram: “More updates to follow, weather permitting”
British billionaire and adventurer Hamish Harding (58) posted one last photo and message on Instagram on Saturday before he started his expedition. In it he said that he was proud to be able to join the diving trip to the Titanic.
“With Newfoundland’s harshest winter in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only crewed mission to Titanic in 2023. The weather suddenly permits and we’re going to try a dive tomorrow. We flew in from St. Johns, Newfoundland, yesterday. Canada have left and plan to start diving tomorrow morning around 4 am Until then we have a lot of preparations and briefings ahead of us.”
Harding also emphasized how much experience the team had. He spoke of “legendary explorers”, some of whom had dived the wreck of the Titanic more than 30 times, “including Paul-Henry Nargeolet”.
More updates to follow as weather permits.
Through his company, there was one more update on Sunday stating that the expedition had started at 4 am that morning. The submarine has been successfully launched and Hamish is currently diving.
Submarine “cannot be opened from the inside”
According to ocean researcher Robert Blasiak, the submarine Titan “cannot be opened from the inside”. He deduces that from the specifications of the ship that were released by the submarine company OceanGate Expeditions.
“We have some time when the submarine floats on the surface,” Blasiak told Britain’s Sky News service. “There are several ships in the area and planes circling to locate the crew as quickly as possible. There is oxygen on board for 96 hours, so we have to hope for that. Because I understand that they can’t do it on their own. can come true. They need assistance.”
Journalist David Pogue traveled with the submarine last year and confirms that. The craft is closed with screws around the outside and an outside crew is required to get out. “You can’t escape even if you surface on your own. You can’t leave the sub without a crew on the outside letting you out,” he told the BBC.
Expert: “People on board should not panic, otherwise oxygen will run out much faster”
The big challenge for the five crew members of the missing submersible Titan is to remain calm and not move too much. Former submarine officer Frank Owen said this to the British public broadcaster BBC. Otherwise, their supply of oxygen will be used up much faster.
“There’s enough oxygen for 96 hours, but if they panic or move too much, it can be shorter,” he says.
Another big challenge will be to find the submarine, especially if it is stuck somewhere underwater.
The French news agency AFP has released a photo that may be the last taken of the missing submarine Titan. The image was taken on Sunday morning around 4 am, at the start of the expedition. About two hours after the start of the mission, contact with the submarine was lost.
Probably also a very rich Pakistani businessman and his son on board
There may also be clarity about the fourth and fifth passengers on board the missing submarine. It would concern the very wealthy Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood (48) and his teenage son Suleman (19). Their family says in a statement.
“We are very grateful for the concerns of our colleagues and friends and ask everyone to pray for their safety,” it sounds.
Shahzada is vice president of Engro Corporation, which produces fertilizers, food and energy, and Dawood Hercules Corporation, which produces chemicals. He was born in Pakistan but moved to the United Kingdom where he studied law. He is married and also has a daughter.
Earlier, the stepson of the British billionaire and explorer Hamish Harding (58) reported on Facebook that his father was in the submarine. “Think and pray for my mother and Hamish Harding. Hamish Harding, my stepfather, has gone missing on a submarine,” wrote Brian Szasz.
He later deleted the post, according to his mother’s request. “For privacy reasons, my mother has asked me to delete all posts around here, thanks for the support,” he said instead.
According to the British newspaper ‘The Guardian’, the French submarine pilot Paul-Henry Nargeolet may also be on board the missing submarine. Sky News reports the same about Stockton Rush, the founder and CEO of OceanGate Expeditions.
Officially, the identities of the five people on board have not yet been communicated.
The submarine was close to the wreck of the Titanic when communication went down
When contact with the missing submarine was lost, it was at a depth of 3,810 meters, just above the wreck of the Titanic. That reports the Daily Mail.
Earlier it was announced that the expedition took 1 hour and 45 minutes. An expedition to the wreck takes an average of eight to ten hours: about two hours to descend, about four hours on-site and about another two hours to ascend.
If it is true that the submarine is at the deepest point of the expedition, it could be very difficult to save the five people on board, assuming they are still alive.
The deepest-ever submarine rescue was performed at a depth of 488 metres. On August 29, 1973, the Canadian ‘Pisces III’ with two men on board became stuck at the bottom of the Irish Sea, between the United Kingdom and Ireland, during a routine dive. It took three days, but Roger Mallinson and Roger Chapman were able to tell the story.
CEO diving company told last year what he was most afraid of
The CEO of the diving company that organizes expeditions to the wreck of the Titanic and may be in the missing submarine himself, said last year what he feared most during a dive to the world-famous ship. Stockton Rush of OceanGate Expeditions did so on a CBS News podcast.
Rush repeatedly emphasized that a mission to the wreck was safe and that there was plenty of oxygen on board, but he also showed that he was aware of the potential risks. “You know, there are limits. At some point, safety is just pure waste. I mean, if you just want to be safe, don’t get out of bed in the morning. Don’t get in your car. Do nothing. At some point, you will take some risks. It’s really a risk versus reward tradeoff.”
What did he fear most? “Things that prevent me from returning to the surface. Fishing nets, things you can get caught in. Then you have to use technique. To steer the sub. If you see something hanging over you, don’t sail it below. If you see a net, don’t go near it. You can avoid them if you sail slowly and steadily.”
