Oxygen supply hits zero on Titanic five’s stricken sub
Oxygen on Titan is now feared to have run out – but the desperate search for the missing Titanic submersible and the brave adventurers on board reached the floor of the Atlantic today – just as the desperate deadline passed.
The world is now praying for a ‘miracle’ after the US Coast Guard predicted the vital oxygen supply would end at 12.08pm GMT (7.08am EST and 9.08pm Sydney). Banging has been heard at 30 minute intervals from the depths of the Atlantic – possibly from the men striking the side of the sub – but it has not yet been located.
Those stuck onboard include British billionaire Hamish Harding, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, French navy veteran PH Nargeolet and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, who is just 19 and a student at Strathclyde University.
The US Coast Guard has said that the rescue operation is ‘still in an active search’ with no plans yet to shift to a recovery phase as the desperate families of the so-called ‘Titan Five’ wait for news.
A deep water robot sub has reached the Atlantic floor – and another is descending the 12,500ft of ocean fast. ‘The Canadian vessel Horizon Arctic has deployed an ROV that has reached the sea floor and began its search for the missing sub’, a spokesman said.
Despite fears their oxygen supplies have run out, there is still hope in the most desperate of situations. Experts believe that the 96-hour oxygen supply number is an imprecise estimate and could be extended if those on board have taken measures to conserve breathable air including lying still and even sleeping.
Guillermo Sohnlein founded OceanGate with Mr Rush in 2009 and believes that the window for finding them could go beyond the US Coastguard’s prediction. He said: ‘Today will be a critical day in this search and rescue mission, as the sub’s life support supplies are starting to run low.
‘I’m certain that Stockton and the rest of the crew realised days ago that the best thing they can do to ensure their rescue is to extend the limits of those supplies by relaxing as much as possible. I firmly believe that the time window available for their rescue is longer than what most people think. I continue to hold out hope for my friend and the rest of the crew’.