The world is on edge as multinational search teams continue their efforts for a fifth day to locate the Titan, a tourist submersible that disappeared with five individuals on board while exploring the Titanic wreck. The submersible belongs to US-based OceanGate Expeditions and was carrying British billionaire Hamish Harding, Pakistani-born business magnate Shahzada Dawood and his son, French oceanographer and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush. The loss of contact with the surface support ship towards the end of the intended two-hour dive left Titan close to exhaustion of its air supply.
According to Coast Guard Captain Jamie Frederick, underwater sounds picked up by Canadian search planes on Tuesday and Wednesday are yet to be determined. Still, the remote-controlled search vehicles have been re-directed to the area where the sounds were heard, with optimism that they may locate the submersible. However, if the Titan is found, it will be difficult to retrieve due to the submersible’s bolted doors that prevent occupants from exiting without assistance.
Some experts, however, have said even if the Titan is located; it would be almost impossible to retrieve it due to the relatively great depths and significant pressure. The French submersible on its way to the site could help determine if Titan is stuck on the seabed and hooked up to a surface ship capable of lifting it. The US Navy is also sending its specialized salvage system, making the efforts underway an international multi-agency search and rescue mission.
The search effort continues to unfold in the same location where the RMS Titanic tragically collided with an iceberg and sank during its inaugural journey in 1912, resulting in the loss of over 1,500 lives. Operating to offer tourists the chance to see the same historical event, OceanGate charges $250,000 per person for the trip. With five prominent individuals on board, the search for the Titan has become a global story.
