According to the estimations of the US Coast Guard, the oxygen supply on the missing sub may have expired, leaving people fearful for the five onboard.
The sub, operated by OceanGate and known as Titan, went missing on Sunday (June 18) as it ventured to explore the wreckage of the Titanic.
After an hour and 45 minutes, it stopped sending signals back to its mothership, the Polar Prince, but the alarm wasn't raised until hours later.
As per Reuters, the dive of the Titan was delayed due to bad weather, but the expedition got underway at 12:00PM GMT.
When it stopped sending signals, it was reportedly situated just above the wreckage of the Titanic, and this was the last known location of the Titan.
The US Coast Guard wasn't alerted until 09:40PM on Sunday when they received reports that a submersible had failed to reemerge 900 nautical miles east of Cape Cod on the U.S. coast
Following this, a worldwide rescue operation was launched led by the Coast Guard, and despite finding banging sounds being picked up, the search has proven unfruitful.
The wreckage of the Titanic lies at 12,500 feet below surface level, with the Titan capable of withstanding depths of up to 13,100 feet, as per OceanGate.
As reported by NBC News, the Coast Guard speculated that the oxygen supply on the Titan would expire at 12:08PM GMT today, as they had 96 hours worth onboard when they descended.
The oxygen level may have been depleted faster by the breathing rate of those onboard, who have since been labelled "The Titan Five".
They have been named as British billionaire Hamish Harding, businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, alongside the two crew members Stockton Rush, founder and chief executive officer of OceanGate, and French pilot Paul-Henry Nargeolet.
Nargeolet is an experienced diver who led one of the first expeditions to the Titanic in 1987 following his retirement from the French Navy.
During the build-up to the dive, Harding had documented poor weather conditions on his Instagram, as he revealed: "Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023."
OceanGate charges $250,000 for a seat on its sub, and this is the third year that the expedition has operated.
The submersible craft has dimensions of 263 inches x 110 inches x 98 inches and is operated by a games console controller, which has raised eyebrows across the world.
As the predicted oxygen levels have run out according to the Coast Guard's estimations, it remains unclear what next steps the rescue operation will take.
Our thoughts are with the loved ones of those onboard, and despite this unwelcome news, we remain hopeful for a positive outcome.
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