A British-based firm has a vehicle that may save the five people trapped in the Atlantic Sea - but says the US government has blocked them from joining the mission, it is reported.
A team of deepwater specialists from Magellan Limited have been waiting to leave an airport in the Channel Islands since 7 pm on Monday but approval for take-off has yet to be received, the Telegraph reports.
Magellan has apparent clearance from the Ministry of Defence to leave UK airspace, but the American government has allegedly not authorised its departure.
Bretton Hunchak, former president of RMS Titanic, Inc, which has worked with Magellan, told the paper that US officials have indicated they would prefer to use their own New York-based vessel.
The US vessel can only reach 3,000m below water, while Magellan’s can plunge depths of up to 5,000m, it is claimed.
An OceanGate Expeditions vessel with five people inside was set to reach the bottom of the Atlantic to view the Titanic shipwreck on Sunday.
But the submarine lost contact around an hour and 45 minutes after it submerged and rescuers now fear they may not reach the ocean craft before its oxygen supply runs out.
Magellan has a remotely operated vehicle which is capable of winching the stricken submersible out of the Atlantic and the firm is said to be desperate to help the mission.
Bretton heartbreakingly revealed to the Telegraph that the French pilot on board, Paul-Henry Nargeolet, is a "personal mentor."
He said: “We have British, French and US citizens on board and every minute here counts. This is not a rational decision, this is the only asset we have with a winch and the guys are experts in this area.
“Why not run both vessels? The more help we can get the better and denying us means you are giving up on every option you have to save lives.
“These are irreplaceable human beings.”
Missing British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding is among the five people missing, as well as the Chief Executive and founder of OceanGate Expeditions, Stockton Rush.
Pakistani British-based businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman, are also on board.
David Concannon, an adviser to OceanGate, echoed Bretton's pleas to NewsNation.
“They are mobilised. They’re sitting on the tarmac, ready to go. We have a ship off Newfoundland that is ready to take them to the site", he said.
He continued: “We have people whose lives are at stake. You have to move. We have assets that are ready to go and they’re sitting and waiting.”
The wreck of the Titanic is located around 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, and it sits 12,500ft deep at the bottom of the Atlantic.
The remains of the Titanic were discovered in 1985, and the site of the wreckage has been explored by archaeologists and marine biologists as well as tourists.
The US Coast Guard has sent two C-130 Hercules aircraft to search for the submersible on the surface of the water - with an underwater sonar search also taking place.
