Canada, US Expand Search Area for Submersible on Titanic Tour

Canada – The search for a tourist submersible exploring the wreck of the Titanic tour has entered its third day on Wednesday, June 21. An international fleet of ships and aircraft continued to expand to search the North Atlantic seabed.

The United States (US) Coast Guard officials said the search covered 26,000 square kilometers, but found no sign of OceanGate's Titan submersible carrying five people.

Although rescuers plan to continue the search, oxygen supplies inside the submarine are running low.

The vessel has less than two days of oxygen left, if it is intact and functioning. "This is a very complex search, and an integrated team is working around the clock," Captain Jamie Frederick of the First Coast Guard District in Boston said.

Frederick said the crew would have no more than about 41 hours of oxygen remaining as of midday Tuesday. That means its air supply could run out Thursday morning.

He added that an underwater robot had started searching in the vicinity of the Titanic and that there was a push to get salvage equipment to the scene in case the sub is found.

Three C-17 transport planes from the United States military have been used to move commercial submersible and support equipment from Buffalo, New York, to St. John’s, Newfoundland, to aid in the search, a spokeswoman for US Air Mobility Command said.

The Canadian military said it provided a patrol aircraft and two surface ships, including one that specializes in dive medicine.

Authorities reported the carbon-fiber vessel overdue Sunday night, setting off the search in waters about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s.

At the helm was pilot Stockton Rush, the CEO of the company leading the expedition. His passengers were British adventurer Hamish Harding, two members of a Pakistani business family and a Titanic expert.