It's been two days since the OceanGate Titanic submersible, the Titan, began its dive into the wreckage of the Titanic off the coast of St John's, Newfoundland, Canada. The submersible lost contact with its support ship, Polar Prince, just 1 hour and 45 minutes into its descent. Where and why the ship lost contact is unknown, but the more time passes, the more dire circumstances are becoming for the five explorers onboard.
In addition to the pilot, OceanGate CEO and founder Stockton Rush, 61, four passengers are missing: Hamish Harding, 58, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son, Suleman Dawood, 19. Experts say the submersible has limited hours of oxygen.
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Officials have a limited time to rescue the submersible.
CNN reported that the Titan had between 70 and 96 hours of oxygen remaining as of Monday afternoon. This would potentially give rescuers until as late as Friday to find the missing vessel, but there have been complications. The outlet reported that the submersible went missing in deeper waters than the deepest-ever underwater rescue, which happened in 1973.
The Pisces III was rescued at 1,575 feet after being trapped for 76 hours. The Titanic wreckage sits at approximately 13,000 feet below sea level.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that only 40 hours of oxygen may be left. Some reports indicate the submersible will run out of oxygen by Thursday.
The submersible is not a submarine.
Per CNN, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a submersible has limited power reserves and relies on a mother ship to launch and recover it. Experts fear the worst because there has been no communication for several days.
"If they'd had a relatively minor issue that forced them to surface unexpectedly, one would think that a locator beacon would have been detected by now. If instead they are stuck on the bottom for some reason, I have yet to hear of a rescue capability that could get them back in time," Thomas Shugart, a former US Navy submarine captain and analyst at the Center for a New American Security, told CNN.
A massive search is underway.
The US Coast Guard and the US Navy have partnered with the Canadian Coast Guard and the Canadian military to search for the Titan, CNN reported.
OceanGate Expeditions, which chartered the mission, posted to its Facebook page Monday: "We are exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely. Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families. 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. We are working toward the safe return of the crewmembers."
The 'Titan' has had issues in the past.
Last year, CBS News Sunday Morning correspondent David Pogue boarded the Titan with a group of explorers and traveled to the Titanic wreckage. He tweeted a video of his trip last summer, and showed how the vessel got lost for a few hours during that trip. "Here's the relevant part of that story," he tweeted.
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The family of a billionaire Pakistani businessman released a statement.
Shahzada Dawood's family confirmed that he and his teen son were on the voyage to see the Titanic's remains, which some say cost upwards of $250,000 per person.
"As of now, contact has been lost with their submersible craft and there is limited information available," the Dawood family statement reads. "A rescue effort that is being jointly led by multiple government agencies and deep-sea companies is underway to reestablish contact with the submersible and bring them back safely.
"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 while granting the family privacy at this time. The family is well looked after and are praying to Allah for the safe return of their family members."
