The five people onboard the tourist submarine that went missing on June 18 while exploring the Titanic shipwreck in the Atlantic Ocean are likely “very uncomfortable” and in a “dire situation,” an expert has warned.
The 21-foot submersible, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, was reported missing on Sunday about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, after it failed to return to the Polar Prince, the Canadian research ship from which it was launched, according to officials.
Officials said the submersible lost contact with the crew of the Polar Prince approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes into the vessel’s dive.
A joint search and rescue mission, led by Coast Guard crews from Boston, is currently underway for the vessel which was carrying five people onboard, including British billionaire Hamish Harding.
The circumstances behind the submersible’s disappearance are unclear, however officials have warned that it only carries a 96-hour oxygen supply.
“So it’s going to be a very, very uncomfortable, dark experience with a lot of hope and prayers,” Mixson said. “I would say it is extremely serious. It’s a dire situation. But on the other side of that fact, it is still considered classified as a search and rescue mission, which should give everyone hope, including the family members and friends of the people on board the vessel.”
‘Something Very Tragic Took Place’
Mixon noted that the vessel’s disappearance is not a “common occurrence at all” and that “something very rapid and very tragic took place” but that researchers likely will not be able to determine the cause of its disappearance until it is recovered.“It’s hard to say whenever you just lose total communications in a situation like that what actually happened until you find the vessel,” Mixon said.
According to OceanGate, the submersible is a Cyclops-class vehicle designed to take five people to a maximum depth of 13,100 feet (4,000 meters) to survey the site of the Titanic shipwreck. It is also used for research and data collection and to film movies and other productions.
A tour guide typically accompanies the pilot and three passengers in the 22-foot (6.7-meter) carbon-fiber vessel, which is lighter in weight and more “cost-efficient to mobilize than any other deep diving submersible.”
OceanGate notes that the vessel is equipped with Real Time Hull Health Monitoring systems that provide an “unparalleled safety feature” and “early warning detection for the pilot with enough time to arrest the descent and safely return to surface.”
In a statement published Monday, OceanGate said it is exploring mobilizing “all options to bring the crew back safely.”
“Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families,” the company said. “We are deeply thankful for the extensive assistance we have received from several government agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to reestablish contact with the submersible,” it continued.
“We are working toward the safe return of the crewmembers,” the company added.
Who Is Onboard?
While OceanGate has not revealed the identities of those on board the missing vessel, billionaire Harding, who is the current chairman of Action Aviation, a global sales company in business aviation, is thought to be among them.Harding’s post noted the team on the sub has a “couple of legendary explorers, some of which have done over 30 dives to the RMS Titanic since the 1980s including PH Nargeolet,” referring to diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, although it is not yet clear if Nargeolet is onboard the missing vessel.
Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman, were also on board, according to a statement from their family.
Shahzada Dawood serves as trustee on the boards of both the Engro Foundation, which works to provide quality health care services to communities in need, and The Dawood Foundation, a not-for-profit educational foundation.
“We are very grateful for the concern being shown by our colleagues and friends and would like to request everyone to pray for their safety,” the family’s statement said.
