3.15pm UPDATE: The Coast Guard says the Titan submersible likely imploded in the North Atlantic waters and there were no survivors among the five people aboard. The implosion likely occurred near the Titanic shipwreck, where the submersible was headed. “The debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber,” Rear Adm. John Mauger, the First Coast Guard District, said Thursday. “Our most heartfelt condolences go out to the loved ones of the crew.”

OceanGate Expeditions said its pilot and chief executive Stockton Rush, along with passengers Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet “have sadly been lost.”

1.30pm UPDATE: DEBRIS FIELD DISCOVERED BY DEEP-SEA ROBOT

Officials say a remote-operated robot discovered the debris field near the Titanic that could be linked to the missing Titan. The robot is one of several remotely operated vehicles, known as ROVs, scanning the sea floor for clues of the missing submersible. The ROVs are outfitted with cameras and travel to depths many other vessels cannot and have been used for undersea exploration for decades. The Coast Guard’s post on Twitter gave no details, such as whether officials believe the debris field is connected to the Titan. The Titanic wreckage is located at a depth of 12,500 feet (3.8 kilometers) in the North Atlantic waters. The Coast Guard has scheduled an afternoon news conference in Boston to discuss the ROV's findings.

FROM EARLIER:

By Letre Sweeting

Tribune Staff Reporter

lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

AS rescue efforts continued for five people missing in a submersible expedition running out of air after descending to the sunken Titanic, details emerged of the company behind the expedition’s links to The Bahamas - including a similar trip offered in our waters.

Insight into OceanGate and its Bahamian links comes as the search for five people who went missing in a Titan submersible headed for the Titanic’s wreckage has captivated global audiences. Up to press time, the vessel had still not been found, dimming hopes that survivors would be rescued.

The company features its partners on its website - including the University of The Bahamas - while the website also advertises four expeditions: the Titanic Expedition, an Azores Expedition, a Bespoke Expedition and The Bahamas Expedition.

“Dive the Great Bahama Bank to depths far beyond the reach of scuba to research sharks, whales, shipwrecks, and deep marine biology,” the website says.

 “The ‘Tongue of the Ocean’ is a deep-water basin that is surrounded by the Great Bahama Bank. Its deep blue waters are home to an abundance of fascinating sea creatures like Cuvier’s beaked whales, deep-dwelling sharks, and several historic shipwrecks.”

 The cost of the experience is $45,000, covering one submersible dive, expedition gear, dive training, meals onboard the vessel and transportation to and from the dive site.

 OceanGate’s website says: “The Titan submersible can seat five people. The dive team will usually include: a pilot, three mission specialists, and one content expert.”

 The dates listed for The Bahamas expedition are December 23 to January 24.

 It is unclear whether people have taken part in the trip or what licences OceanGate has to offer the experience in the country. It is also unclear whether its Bahamian expedition would raise safety concerns similar to its Titanic expedition; concerns have been raised particularly about the safety of operating the Titan submersible at extreme depths.

 Government officials did not respond to The Tribune’s questions before press time yesterday.

 In addition to the Bahamian expedition, OceanGate Expeditions’ website details its partnership with the University of The Bahamas for “the development and execution of submersible expeditions and research-based programmes”. The company purportedly mobilised to The Bahamas in April 2017 as part of a long-term testing programme for the Titan submersible.

 Dr Carlton Watson, the university’s dean of the faculty of pure and applied sciences, is quoted as saying: “This partnership will further strengthen the university’s drive to develop flagship programmes in Small Island Studies by facilitating unique learning opportunities, trans-disciplinary research and innovation, as well as the establishment of networks of field stations and centres of excellence across the Bahamian archipelago.”

 Dr Watson declined to comment on the partnership yesterday, referring a reporter to former UB president Dr Rodney Smith.

 On April 14, 2019, OceanGate Expeditions’ Facebook page posted a video of a team completing maintenance and system checks of the Titan submersible near Little Harbour on Great Abaco.

According to international reports, in 2018 the company’s expeditions were delayed a year due to difficulties encountered during deep-water testing of its submersible in The Bahamas.

“While we are disappointed by the need to reschedule the expedition, we are not willing to shortcut the testing process due to a condensed timeline,” Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate Expeditions, said in a press release in 2018. “We are 100 per cent committed to safety, and want to fully test the sub and validate all operational and emergency procedures before launching any expedition.”

 International reports also highlighted a partnership between OceanGate and the Island School in Cape Eleuthera.

 Chris Maxey, founder and board president of the Island School, told The Tribune yesterday that OceanGate Expeditions officials visited his institute ten years ago, but a partnership never materialised.

 “We know them. They came, they gave a presentation to our students, but we never actually had a partnership,” he said. “They visited probably ten years ago so there was never any operational partnership, it was just a conversation.

 “I remember them visiting our campus and there was a conversation about them using Cape Eleuthera as a base for their submarines because we’re right near the wall here, but nothing ever moved forward.”