United States Coast Guard

• The United States Coast Guard is now leading the investigation into the Titan submersible, looking for answers about why it imploded, and what actions should be taken next.
• The vessel experienced a catastrophic implosion at some point during its journey, with all five passengers presumed dead.
• The Titan disaster happened in international waters, in a commercially operated vessel, and with victims of different nationalities.

What happens next?

The Titan, a research and exploration sub owned by US company OceanGate, lost contact with its surface vessel on Sunday morning, about one hour and 45 minutes after its departure. Chief investigator Jason Neubauer said the US Coast Guard will receive help from Canada, France and the United Kingdom. He said authorities had already mapped the accident site, and the inquiry will aim to address several questions, including:
Recovery operations in remote parts of the ocean are painstakingly complex, with myriad variables to consider. We can expect the Titan investigation will cost millions of dollars.

Harsh conditions

• Manufacturer Pelagic Research Services told CNN the ROV’s lifting capabilities had “been utilised and continue to be utilised”, and that missions would continue for about a week.
• ROVs can collect vast amounts of data for deep-sea operations, including video footage and sensor readings.
• They may have disintegrated during the implosion, drifted too far away from the search area, or be obscured by other debris.
• Underwater hazards, harsh weather and strong currents all add to the challenge – especially by limiting visibility.

Finding the remains

• But the chances of actually finding them will depend on various factors, including the cause of the implosion, the depth at which it happened, and the surrounding conditions.
• A severe implosion may have resulted in extensive fragmentation and scattering of both the submersible’s structure and human remains.
• The effort to locate remains may involve observation from long-range aircraft and patrol vessels, or may even rely on radar, sonar or satellite imagery.

Sharing responsibility

• The Titan investigation will involve coordination between multiple entities, including maritime authorities, coast guard services and search and rescue organisations.
• This requires that all vessels, regardless of their flag, have a legal obligation to render assistance to any person in distress at sea.

• An extensive search and rescue operation is underway to locate a commercial submersible that went missing during a dive to the Titanic shipwreck.
• According to the US Coast Guard, contact with the submersible was lost about one hour and 45 minutes into the dive, with five people onboard.
• The Titanic’s wreck sits some 3,800 metres deep in the Atlantic, about 700km south of St John’s, Newfoundland.

OceanGate’s Titan submersible goes missing

• Unlike submarines, they usually have a viewport to allow passengers look outside, and outside cameras that provide a broader view around the submersible.
• The missing submersible in question is an OceanGate Titan watercraft, which can take five people to depths of up to 4,000m.
• The Titan is about 22 feet in length, with speeds of about 3 knots, or 5.5km per hour.

Communication and rescue efforts

• Given it has lost all contact with its surface vessel, it may have suffered a power failure.
• According to reports, at least two aircraft, a submarine and sonar buoys were being used to search for the vessel.
• One of the major challenges in the rescue effort will be contending with weather conditions, which will further shrink an already narrow search window.

What might have happened?

• For instance, it may be equipped with additional weights that can be dropped to instantly increase its buoyancy and bring it back to the surface.
• Alternatively, the vessel may have lost power and ended up at the bottom of the ocean.
• The worst case scenario is that it has suffered a catastrophic failure to its pressure housing.
• Read more:
  Indonesian submarine found: what might have happened to the KRI Nanggala in its final moments?

• SEE (NYSE: SEE) announces the recent election of Clay Johnson to its Board of Directors.
• Mr. Johnson currently serves as the Chief Digital and Technology Officer for Yum!
• Mr. Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science Engineering and an MBA both from The University of Texas.
• Clay brings decades of global business experience to the SEE board and we look forward to leveraging his expertise in the digital technology space to help us bring our vision to life,” said Henry Keizer, SEE Board Chairman.

• Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), an Arcline Investment Management portfolio company, celebrated the grand opening of its newest Training and Service Center Campus in Chesapeake, Va. located at 733 Curtis Saunders Court on May 17th.
• “Fairbanks Morse Defense has made it clear that they are going ‘all-in’ by making a significant investment in this training and service center in Chesapeake,” said Steven Wright, Director of Chesapeake Economic Development .
• FMD’s Chesapeake Training and Service Center includes the following:
  13,000 square feet of training center shop space, including four fully dressed workstations featuring four different FMD engines for students to pull apart and reassemble, in addition to dedicated training available on all FMD products.
• 6,000 square feet for service center offices, a tech library, a service center classroom, and break rooms.