Rescue teams searching for a missing submersible in the north Atlantic are concentrating their efforts on an area where underwater sounds were detected by patrol planes. However, they caution that there is no guarantee that the sounds are coming from the vessel.
On Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, Canadian P3 submarine-hunting aircraft dropped sonar buoys that picked up “underwater noises” in the vicinity where the submersible, named Titan, disappeared during a mission to view the wreckage of the RMS Titanic.
The US Coast Guard, which is leading the search, states that the source of the noises remains unclear. Captain Jamie Frederick mentioned in a press conference that remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) have been relocated in an attempt to explore the area where the noises were detected. Although the ROV searches have been unsuccessful so far, they are ongoing.
Carl Hartsfield from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, who is involved in the search, cautioned against assuming that the sounds are from the submersible. He explained that there are numerous sources of similar sounds, including animals and other vessels. Hartsfield added that the analysis of these sounds over time, along with the elimination of other potential sources, is necessary.
The search area for the submersible has been expanded to an area twice the size of Connecticut, with a depth of 2.5 miles. There are currently five surface vessels searching the area, with five more en route, along with aircraft and ROVs. The estimated oxygen supply on board the Titan can sustain the passengers until Thursday morning.
Captain Frederick acknowledged the challenges posed by the complexity of the case, including the offshore location and the coordination between multiple agencies and nations involved.
The Titan, a 10-tonne submersible made of titanium and carbon fibre, is operated by OceanGate. The company offers private tours to visit the Titanic wreckage at a cost of approximately $250,000 per person. The missing passengers on board the Titan include Hamish Harding, a British entrepreneur, Shahzada Dawood, a Pakistani businessman, and his 19-year-old son, Suleman. Although the names of all five passengers have not been officially confirmed, it is reported that French explorer Paul-Henry Nargeolet and Stockton Rush, the founder of OceanGate, are also on board.
The announcement of the detected noises came shortly after the establishment of a unified joint command by the US Coast Guard, US Navy, Canadian Coast Guard, and OceanGate to coordinate rescue efforts.
In addition to the vessels and aircraft already involved, four more Canadian Coast Guard vessels, a Canadian naval vessel, a commercial tug, an offshore support vessel, and a French research ship are en route to the scene. Three of these vessels are equipped with ROVs for the search. The Canadian naval vessel, the Glace Bay, is carrying medical personnel and a decompression chamber to treat individuals returning from significant ocean depths.
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