The search and rescue team that is looking for the missing Titanic submersible is 'motivated by hope' at this stage, a US Coast Guard admiral has said. Experts are currently searching for the missing submersible in the area where noises have been heard beneath the surface.
Captain Jamie Frederick told reporters on Wednesday (June 21) the cause of the noises was still unconfirmed. But he has insisted the efforts to find the five missing people aboard the Titan was still “a rescue mission”.
The vessel lost communication with tour operators on Sunday (June 18) 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 (22ft) long OceanGate Expeditions vessel may have less than 20 hours of oxygen left, reports PA.
Speaking at a press conference, Capt Frederick said the size of the area being investigated was “roughly two times the size” of US state Connecticut.
He added: “The good news is we are searching in the area where the noises were detected.”
On oxygen levels on board, he said: “Oxygen is just one piece of data. There are lots of pieces of data that we need to study. But (oxygen) is not the only thing that’s important.”
Asked if they were still treating the passengers as alive, he added: “This is a search and rescue mission, no doubt about it”.
The US Coast Guard announced earlier on Wednesday that the Canadian P-3 aircraft detected underwater noises. The Titan has five people on board, including British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding.
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. Speaking earlier on Wednesday, Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard said the team is currently trying to work out whether the noises picked up on Wednesday are from the Titan.
He told BBC News: “We’re working very closely with leading acoustic experts both here in the US navy and the Canadian navy, and I’ve integrated a UK submariner into my command here in Boston thanks to the support from the UK consul general for Boston, Dr (Peter) Abbott, to make sure we have the expertise that we need to understand what that noise signature is and what it is telling us.
“While that analysis is going on though, we’re not waiting to target remote-operated vehicle operations in the areas that the sonar bodies tell us that that noise is potentially being generated. So we’ve relocated our remote-operated vehicles onsite to search in those areas.
“But at this time I haven’t had any confirmation of what the noise is.”
He added: “Our crews, the women and men that are working the response to this case and co-ordinating search and rescue operations are just doing an amazing job across the US Coast Guard, the Canadian Coast Guard, the US navy, the Canadian armed forces and out in the private industry, the commercial operators which have deployed on the scene.
“It is really a remarkable effort. They’re motivated by the hope to find that submersible and the people on board and we’re motivated by the family members because we understand how difficult this is for them as well.”
In a statement on their website, deep water specialists Magellan said they were contacted by OceanGate on Monday and “immediately” offered knowledge of the site and expertise in operating at depth.
The company added that it has been working with UK and US agencies to move its specialist equipment and support crew to St John’s, Newfoundland, following instructions to mobilise from OceanGate.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) also said the UK-based Nato Submarine Rescue System (NSRS) team is available to offer expertise and guidance to the search operation. But reports indicate the the depths involved in the search “greatly exceed” that which the NSRS can safely operate.
