The United States Coast Guard announced in a statement on Thursday that a debris field has been discovered near the Titanic in the search for the missing Titan submersible.
The discovery was made by a remote-controlled vehicle deployed by the Horizon Arctic, according to The New York Times.
“A debris field was discovered within the search area by an ROV near the Titanic,” USGC Northeast said in a statement. “Experts within the unified command are evaluating the information.”
A debris field was discovered within the search area by an ROV near the Titanic. Experts within the unified command are evaluating the information. 1/2
— USCGNortheast (@USCGNortheast) June 22, 2023
The oxygen supply on the submersible, which aimed to see the wreckage of the Titanic, was projected to run out early on Thursday, although officials said that the crew’s desire to live could prolong the timeline if those inside stayed calm and avoided panicked breathing.
Dr. Simon Boxall, who teaches oceanography at England’s University of Southampton, told NBC News, “There are so many variables. We have no idea how long they will actually last in terms of oxygen — all that we know is that it’s imminent.”
Boxall explained that the passengers on board could start to suffer hypothermia, adding that could mean “they’re using a lot less oxygen,” although that could present other dangers.
Nikolas Xiros, professor of naval architecture and marine engineering at the University of New Orleans, said it was likely the sub had lost power, warning that the temperatures inside could be at the freezing point. “If a lack of oxygen doesn’t get them, what’s going to get them is going to be hypothermia,” he told USA Today.
OceanGate Expeditions, the company responsible for the Titan, reportedly took eight hours to alert the Coast Guard that they had lost contact with the submersible on Sunday. The sub lies roughly 400 miles southeast of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
The sub had been in contact with the mothership, the Polar Prince when it started its dive at 8 a.m. Sunday morning, but lost contact at 9:45 a.m. The Daily Mail reported that the sub wasn’t reported missing to the U.S. Coast Guard until 5:40 p.m., eight hours later, and Canada’s Coast Guard wasn’t alerted until 9:13 p.m. on Sunday night.
Hank Berrien contributed to this report.
This report has been updated to include additional information.