Credit: OceanGate Expeditions/PA Wire
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Old photo of the Titan submarine, near the platform from which it was released
7 hours ago
With every hour that has passed since the disappearance of the Titan submarine on Sunday (18th) in the Atlantic, the tension over the situation of the five people on board is increasing.
The ship departed on oxygen supplies for about 96 hours, and that limit is fast approaching. John Mauger of the United States Coast Guard said this Wednesday (21), around noon Brazilian time, that the submarine would have about 20 hours of oxygen left.
This means that the supply would be possible until around 8 a.m. on Thursday.
In an interview with BBC News, Doctor Ken Ledez, a hyperbaric medicine specialist at a university in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada the point from which Titan departed to visit the Titanic wreck on the sea floor said that There are chances of survival How long the lack of oxygen eventually goes away depends on the metabolism of each individual.
He adds that some may survive longer than others in these circumstances.
“It’s not like [de repente] Turn off the light at the switch. It’s more like climbing a mountain,” says Ledez.
“You have to do everything you can to reduce your oxygen consumption: get some rest and try to be as relaxed and calm as possible.”
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The interior of the submarine, shown in a previous mission
If people are very active in this extreme situation, they may speed up their metabolism and increase the need for oxygen and the release of carbon dioxide.
The doctor also explains that hypothermia (low body temperature) can help.
“There’s a chance they could go hot to the point of unconsciousness and maybe survive that… Their heartbeat can be very slow in the cold.”
“You could go on [vivos] a week past the limit? I doubt. But some may survive longer than others.
Although the situation is becoming increasingly critical, the US Coast Guard has warned, some have pointed out that the count of hours of available oxygen supply is not so rigid.
Bobbie Scholley, a former US Navy diver, told the BBC that even after Thursday morning there was still hope.
“Everyone is focused on the 96hour delivery window, but that’s not a hard number. “I know search teams aren’t focused on that hard number,” Scholley said.
“This will remain a rescue mission even after this number. That gives me hope.”
“You’re going to do everything you can to stay calm, breathe shallowly, and hold on to oxygen for as long as possible,” Fanning said.