A French vessel equipped with a submersible capable of reaching the ocean floor and transmitting images to the surface has arrived in the designated search area.
The vessel, named Victor 6000, is also equipped with two mechanical arms capable of delicate maneuvers like cutting or removing debris.
The search area, which is being scoured by aircraft, ships, and remotely operated vehicles, has been expanded to cover approximately 10,000 square miles of the ocean.
Efforts are underway to locate the missing submarine, which lost contact on Sunday while descending to the Titanic wreck. The US Coast Guard reported hearing additional noises in the search area, but their nature remains unclear.
The Victor 6000, carrying a crew of five, will play a crucial role in the search operation, utilizing its advanced capabilities to explore the depths of the ocean floor and potentially gather valuable information.
Deep-sea explorer Dr David Gallo believes it would take a miracle to rescue those trapped in Titan, but he remains optimistic.
He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that the noises coming from underwater are “credible and repeatable” meaning teams need to assume they are coming from the submersible and move quickly to locate it.
“We have to, at this point, assume that that’s the submarine and move quickly to that spot, locate it and get robots down there to verify that is where the submarine is,” he said.
“They’ve got to go fully ready as if that was the sub because to locate it and get it up to the surface – it takes hours.”
Dr Ken Ledez – a hyperbaric medicine expert has said that running out of air isn’t the only danger now.
The vessel may have also lost electrical power, which plays a pivotal role in controlling oxygen and carbon dioxide levels.
As oxygen levels fall, the proportion of carbon dioxide being breathed out by those inside will rise, causing potentially fatal consequences.
“As levels of carbon dioxide build up, then it becomes sedative, it becomes like an anaesthetic gas, and you will go to sleep,” Dr Ledez tells the BBC.
Hypothermia – where the body gets too cold to function – is another risk.