A new mission to the Titan submersible debris site, which was located near the ruins of the Titanic, is underway, according to a spokeswoman for Pelagic Research Services on Friday. The spokesperson, Jeff Mahoney, stated that the goal of the Odysseus 6 remotely piloted vehicle will continue searching for and mapping out the debris spots.
On Thursday, OceanGate issued a statement indicating that the passengers had “sadly been lost.” The announcement came after the US Coast Guard said an underwater robot detected a “debris field” while searching near the Titanic ruins for a missing submersible with five personnel on board. According to the report, the ROV mission began Friday morning and would have taken around an hour to reach the debris area. The Odysseus 6 ROV is on its second mission; on the first, it revealed a debris field with submersible components.
US Coast Guard uncertain about recovering bodies
Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard stated that he cannot confirm whether the US Coast Guard would be able to collect the bodies of the five passengers, including OceanGate’s CEO Stockton Rush, as well as Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
Five big pieces were discovered among the rubble near the Titanic site, according to officials. Among these were a nose cone outside the pressure hull and a bigger debris field. Mauger stated during the press conference that “this is an incredibly unforgiving environment.” He also stated that an ROV from the vessel Horizon Artic discovered the tail cone of the Titan submersible about 1600 feet from the bow of the Titanic debris a few hours ago.
According to CNN, Mahoney stated that any attempts to recover anything from the debris field will be a larger operation because the Titan sub debris will likely be too heavy for Pelagic’s ROV to lift alone and that if a recovery mission is necessary, Deep Energy, another company assisting with the mission, will handle it.
A probe has been initiated
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said on Friday that it is investigating the Titan submersible’s implosion. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) issued a statement saying, “The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is launching an investigation into the fatal occurrence involving the Canadian-flagged vessel Polar Prince and the privately operated submersible Titan.”
OceanGate’s Statement
According to OceanGate, “These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans.”
“Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.”
