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Missing Titanic sub search in critical phase amid fears over oxygen levels
The huge search for a missing submersible vessel near the wreck of the Titanic has entered a critical stage, as fears mount over the oxygen levels that may be on board.
If the sub is still functional and intact, it may only have low levels of oxygen left based on earlier estimates.
It went missing in a remote area of the North Atlantic on Sunday with a four-day oxygen supply for its crew of five.
And on Thursday many questions remained over how it could be recovered.
The minivan-sized submersible, which was owned and operated by the private company OceanGate Expeditions, is yet to be located. If it is found, it will need to be reached by complex rescue equipment and then brought to the surface in an operation that would likely take hours.
That would need to happen before the oxygen supply runs out and without damaging its structure or endangering those on board.
The condition of the vessel and its crew of five is unknown, but the US Coast Guard said the operation remains a rescue mission. “This is a search-and-rescue mission, 100%,” Captain Jamie Frederick told reporters on Wednesday.
There appeared to be a glimmer of hope after officials said undersea noises had been detected by Canadian search planes on Tuesday and Wednesday.
But it is still unclear what these were, and officials said they may not have come from the submersible. Remote-controlled underwater search vehicles (ROVs) were deployed to the area where the sounds were detected but are yet to find anything.
One of the ROVs, deployed from the Canadian vessel Horizon Arctic, reached the ocean floor early Thursday morning. Several more were expected to arrive at the site later in the day, along with more multi-national support.
A French research ship, the Atalante, also arrived in the area on Thursday morning and deployed its own ROV, the US Coast Guard said. That robot is capable of researching depths below the Titanic wreck, which lies about 12,500 ft (3,810m) below the surface, and has experience of surveying the Titanic.
The overall area of sea being scoured is about 26,000 sq km (10,000 sq miles), twice the size of the US state of Connecticut. The area is prone to stormy conditions and poor visibility which makes search operations more challenging, experts say.
On board the 21-foot vessel is British businessman Hamish Harding, British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, former French navy diver Paul-Henry Nargeolet and the CEO of OceanGate – which operates the submersible – Stockton Rush.
“One of the factors that makes it hard to predict how much oxygen is left is that we do not know the rate of the consumption of oxygen per occupant on the sub,” Rear Admiral John Mauger from the US Coast Guard told the BBC.
Dr Ken LeDez, a hyperbaric medicine expert at Memorial University in St John’s, Newfoundland, told the BBC it was possible the crew could survive even as oxygen supplies dwindle, depending on the crew’s fitness and the conditions in the submersible.
While it is impossible to know the exact conditions inside, Dr LeDez said the crew will likely be facing increasing levels of carbon dioxide and could also be dealing with cold temperatures, along with the declining levels of oxygen.
A combination of these factors could lead to hypothermia and a loss of consciousness, he said. But these conditions aren’t necessarily deadly and their metabolisms slowing down because of the cold could help them survive longer, he added.
“They’re very smart… very accomplished people in there,” he said. “If anybody can survive” in it, “it’s these individuals.”
source :BBC
Ghana Tourism Authority is leading Ghana’s participation at ITB Berlin, which opened in Berlin with a vibrant national pavilion highlighting Ghana’s rich cultural heritage, tourism destinations and investment opportunities.
March 5 has been designated as Ghana Day, a special platform to promote Ghana’s languages, cuisine, Kente, festivals and business prospects to the global tourism community. The stand has already drawn strong interest with traditional arts and crafts displays, immersive multimedia presentations and popular Ghanaian snacks.
Seven private-sector players are exhibiting alongside government officials as part of efforts to deepen trade partnerships, expand market access, and attract investment across the hospitality, heritage tourism, ecotourism, and creative arts sectors.
Ahead of the official opening, the Ghana delegation also engaged young Ghanaian investors in Germany in collaboration with V Afrika-Verein and the Ghana Embassy, strengthening diaspora investment linkages and highlighting opportunities within the tourism value chain.
Ghana’s coordinated presence at ITB Berlin 2026 reinforces its strategy to position the country as the Gateway to Africa and a competitive destination for leisure travel and global investment.
The Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh Dompreh, has expressed concern over delays in the release of the District Assemblies Common Fund, warning that the situation is stalling development across the country.
On his facebook page, he described as a matter of urgent national importance, the Minority Chief Whip pointed to what he sees as a growing crisis of unpaid contractors, abandoned projects, and halted infrastructure works in many districts.
He noted that several communities are grappling with half completed schools, unfinished health facilities, abandoned markets, deteriorating roads, and stalled sanitation projects.
According to him, many contractors who have executed projects for district assemblies have not been paid, forcing some construction firms to demobilise from sites while workers lose their jobs.
He stressed that the District Assemblies Common Fund is not a discretionary allocation but a constitutional requirement under Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution, intended to support development at the local level.
In his view, years of delayed releases and accumulated arrears have weakened district development financing and disrupted projects meant to improve living conditions in communities.
He further argued that some payments made in recent years were largely the settlement of old debts rather than funding for new or ongoing projects, a situation he believes has affected contractor confidence and local economic activity.
He described the issue as more than a budgetary challenge, characterising it as a development emergency and a governance concern.
He therefore urged the appropriate authorities to pay outstanding DACF arrears, settle contractors who have completed their work, and ensure that transfers to districts are automatic and predictable.
He maintained that decentralisation can only succeed when district assemblies receive adequate and timely funding to carry out development projects.
He emphasised that stalled projects directly affect ordinary citizens, since they rely on such infrastructure for education, healthcare, transportation, sanitation, and economic activities.
He called for renewed attention to grassroots development, insisting that national progress should not be concentrated only in major cities but extended to all communities.
By: Jacob Aggrey
