Titanic sub: Passengers on missing vessel have 40 hours of ‘breathable air left’ as major search continues

The 21-foot vessel, which takes tourists underwater to visit the wreck of the Titanic, went missing in the Atlantic Ocean on June 18. Tickets for the submersible cost around $250,000 per person and passengers include British billionaire Hamish Harding along with four others.

In an update on Tuesday (June 20), Captain Jamie Frederick of the US Coast Guard, said the search for the vessel, called Titan, had not yielded any results so far. An ROV (remotely operated underwater vehicle) has been deployed at the site and has a camera on board to help find the missing passengers.

A “unified command” has been set up, consisting of "expertise from the United States Coast Guard, the United States Navy, Canadian Armed Forces and Coast Guard, and the Titan’s parent company, Ocean Gate Expeditions” Captain Frederick said. He added that since Sunday (June 18) the search has covered 7,600 square miles.

Captain Frederick says there is about 40 hours of breathable air left on the sub, based on the initial reports of 96 hours left. He added that “the combination of a surface search and a subsurface search makes it an incredibly complex operation”.

Undated handout photo issued by issued by Action Aviation of the OceanGate Expeditions vessel used to the wreckage site of the Titanic. Rescue teams are continuing the search for the submersible tourist vessel which went missing during a voyage to the Titanic shipwreck with British billionaire Hamish Harding among the five people aboard. The five-person OceanGate Expeditions vessel reported overdue on Sunday evening about 435 miles south of St John's, Newfoundland. Photo.Photo: Dirty Dozen Productions/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.

The Titan sub is sealed with bolts from the outside, which means the occupants cannot escape without assistance even if it surfaces. Capt Frederick also offered his "heartfelt thoughts and prayers" to the families of the five people onboard the submersible and said "crews are working round the clock" during the rescue mission.