Estimated oxygen supply time expires on the Titan submarine during expedition to the Titanic wreckage
The estimated deadline for the available oxygen supply on the submarine that went missing during an expedition to the Titanic wreckage in the Atlantic Ocean ended at 7 a.m. this Thursday (22). The estimate had been made by the United States Coast Guard.
Search and rescue teams from Canada and the United States, with the support of French vessels, are continuing the search for the OceanGate’s Titan submarine, which disappeared on Sunday (18) with five passengers on board.
The oxygen supply time estimation takes into account various calculations, such as the submarine’s departure time. However, there are variables that affect this estimate, mainly related to the individual oxygen consumption of each passenger.
After the disappearance, the initial estimate indicated that the crew would have about 96 hours of available oxygen. However, on Wednesday morning (21), in an interview with the BBC, Rear Admiral John Mauger stated that the US authorities were already working with a deadline of less than 20 hours.
So far, the main indications of possible survival of the crew are the sounds captured by the sonar of a Canadian plane. However, during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, the US Coast Guard informed that the origin of these noises, which resemble tapping, according to the records, is still uncertain.
This morning, a French research ship carrying a remotely operated underwater robot slowed down while searching in the area where the submarine lost contact with its base. The decrease in speed may indicate that the sonar has found something on the seafloor as it is connected to the ship by a fiber optic cable. However, as of this update, there has been no confirmation of this discovery.
Eight ships, along with aircraft and sonar equipment, are involved in the search operation for the submarine, located 600 km off the coast of Canada. The search is focused on an area where aircraft captured underwater sounds that may be related to the missing vessel. However, the US Coast Guard admits that they are not certain if the sounds are from the submarine.
The depth at which the submarine may be submerged can make the rescue difficult. A report released by the US media mentions that a manned vessel of the US Navy would only be able to descend to approximately 600 meters in depth. On the other hand, the Titanic wreckage, which is located at nearly 3,900 meters of depth, could be retrieved by a remotely operated vehicle and brought to the surface.
Ryan Ramsey, a former submarine captain in the UK Navy, shared his grim view of the situation with the British news agency “PA,” stating that the chances of survivors are low. According to him, the rescue mission is turning into a salvage mission, as it is unlikely for there to be survivors based solely on the oxygen supply.
Regarding the disappearance, below are some questions and answers about the search for the submarine in the North Atlantic.
- What was the objective of the expedition? The expedition aimed to explore the wreckage of the Titanic, which sank in 1912 in the Atlantic Ocean.
- Where is the Titanic wreckage? The wreckage is located at a depth of about 3,800 meters, 650 km off the coast of Canada.
- Who organizes the tour and how much does it cost? The expedition is organized by the maritime tourism company OceanGate Expeditions, which charges $250,000 (R$ 1.19 million) per passenger.
- When did the submarine disappear? The expedition began on Friday (16), departing from Newfoundland, Canada. The descent itself started on Sunday (18). Initially, it was expected that the trip to the Titanic wreckage would last about two hours, but contact was lost after 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- Who is on board? On board the submarine are OceanGate’s CEO Stockton Rush as the pilot, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood (son of Shahzada), British billionaire and explorer Hamish Harding, and former French Navy commander Paul-Henry Nargeolet, the leading expert on the Titanic wreck.
- What is the submarine like? The submarine, named Titan, measures 6.5 meters in length by 3 meters in width and weighs over 10 tons. It is made of carbon fiber and titanium and is guided by a joystick similar to a video game controller. The submarine moves at a speed of 3 knots (5.5 km/h) propelled by four thrusters and can carry up to five people. Unlike a large-scale submarine, it is not autonomous and had to be transported on the surface for 643 km to the dive location.
- What could have happened? Experts have different theories, such as the submarine being at the bottom of the ocean, floating on the surface, or having imploded due to the pressure of the water column.