US Coast Guard says "debris field" found in search area for missing Titanic submersible

The US Coast Guard said Thursday a “debris field” was discovered by a remotely operated vehicle near the Titanic and within the search area for the missing submersible with five people aboard.

“Experts within the unified command are evaluating the information,” the Coast Guard said, according to CNN.

It is unclear if this debris field is connected to the missing submersible. The Coast Guard said it plans to host a press briefing at 3 p.m. ET to “discuss findings from the Horizon Arctic’s ROV on the sea floor near the Titanic.”

The news comes as the search for the vessel has reached a “critical” stage, the co-founder of the company operating the submersible said Thursday.

“Today will be a critical day in this search and rescue mission, as the sub’s life support supplies are starting to run low,” Guillermo Sohnlein, the co-founder of OceanGate, the company operating the expedition, said in a statement Thursday.

Sohnlein said he is “certain” that pilot Stockton Rush and the crew “realized days ago that the best thing they can do to ensure their rescue is to extend the limits of those supplies by relaxing as much as possible. I firmly believe that the time window available for their rescue is longer than what most people think.”

The submersible, known as Titan, began its descent Sunday to explore the wreckage of the Titanic with an estimated 96 hours of life support. With estimated oxygen levels ever depleting, the search for the submersible has kicked into high gear.

Aboard the Titan are Rush, the OceanGate CEO and founder, along with British businessman Hamish Harding, Pakistani billionaire Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, and French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, according to relatives and social media posts. Officials have not publicly named those aboard.

The expedition reflects the ongoing fascination with the Titanic’s wreckage more than a century after it hit an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage, killing more than 1,500 people. The journey is also part of the growing business of wealthy adventure tourism, along with the space flights of Blue Origin or the rise of guided tours to Mount Everest.

The focus on the vessel has also renewed criticisms of OceanGate’s approach to safety from employees and other industry leaders.