June 22nd 2023.
The race against time has begun as the world waits for news of the missing tourist submersible, the OceanGate Titan, which has been submerged in the depths of the North Atlantic for three days. Five people are on board and with only hours of oxygen left, the situation is increasingly desperate.
In a last-chance rescue mission, the French have deployed their state-of-the-art Victor 6000 robot submarine, which can dive up to 20,000ft - more than twice as deep as the OceanGate Titan. The Victor 6000 is powered by an 8km cable connected to the French research vessel Atalante, and is equipped with manipulating arms which could be used to extricate the Titanic if it is found.
The team of 25 manning the operation on board the Atalante have just 72 hours to locate the sub before the oxygen runs out. They are working non-stop and hope to cover as much of the search area as possible, but the robot submarine moves at a slow speed of only 1km/h.
The speculation is that the sub could be stuck beneath one of the Titanic's enormous propellers, however no one is certain of its whereabouts. There were hopes raised yesterday when 'banging noises' were heard underwater, but its still unclear if this was related to the missing sub.
The Victor 6000 cost 1 million euro to design in 1999 and is a two by three metre cube. It is the last hope of rescuing those stranded and is operated by the state-run French ocean research institute, Ifremer. If the Victor 6000 does find the sub, it won't be able to help bring it back to the surface, but could help connect the stricken craft to a cable from the surface, allowing the passengers to be rescued.
The international rescue operation continues and for the latest news on the missing submersible, follow The Agency’s live blog here. We are all hoping and praying that the Victor 6000 will locate the sub in time to save its passengers and crew.
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