France has dispatched a scuba-equipped vessel to assist in the search and rescue operation of the missing submarine, which is diving around the wreck of the Titanic for a tourist expedition. The Atalante ship is managed by the Ifremer research institute, which specializes in underwater research at great depths. The institute uses the Victor 6000 autonomous robot, which is capable of descending to a depth of 6,000 meters, well beyond the 3,800 meters of the wreck site. The robot won’t be able to lift the OceanGate pod, but since it’s equipped with mechanical arms, it can assist in trying to hook it to cables thrown by ships. The Atalante ship should arrive in the search area in the next few hours.
