An OceanGate Expeditions spokesperson blamed US government, bureaucracy, suggesting that it was responsible for causing delays in the rescue operation of the Titanic tourist submarine, which is currently missing, NewsNation reported.
OceanGate adviser says the US govt caused delay in rescue operation of missing Titanic submarine
However, authorities have countered this claim by stating that the company waited eight hours before officially reporting the disappearance. Attorney David Concannon, who decided not to participate in the dive on Sunday, informed NewsNation that the rescue team, along with the necessary equipment and crew, cannot initiate their mission until they receive authorization from the Coast Guard.
“They are mobilized. They’re sitting on the tarmac, ready to go,” Concannon said of the crew who surveyed the Titanic in 2022. “This equipment has been on the tarmac for hours.
“When I communicate with the US government, I get ‘out of office’ replies, not from everyone, but from key people that have a signoff on this,” the attorney added. “That’s unacceptable. I don’t want to discourage the government officials that are helping because they’re doing their jobs, but we need to do it quicker.”
According to the US Coast Guard, their primary objective at present is to locate the submarine before initiating any rescue operation. The submarine disappeared 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
Furthermore, officials informed the Daily Mail that OceanGate Expeditions took nearly eight hours to report the disappearance of their five-person tourist submarine after it lost communication with the vessel.
Missing sub raises concerns over reporting delay and limited oxygen supply
The Mail reports that OceanGate Expeditions, a private company that offers tourists the opportunity to visit the famous shipwreck for a fee of $250,000, submerged at approximately 8 a.m. on Sunday.
The submarine lost contact with its accompanying ship, the Polar Prince, around 9:45 a.m., and it was not until 5:40 p.m. that officials were informed about the missing Titan sub, as per sources from the Coast Guard cited by the Mail.
The Post’s inquiry for further details was met with no immediate response from OceanGate and the Coast Guard.
As officials work urgently to save the five passengers, news of the delay surfaces. OceanGate has highlighted that the submarine has a maximum of 96 hours, equivalent to four days, of oxygen supply, according to a report by the NY Post.
