The disappearance of OceanGate Expeditions sub off the Atlantic coast of the northern United States on Monday has captivated the world's attention, with some high-profile figures on board whose whereabouts in the deep sea is unknown.
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Search efforts to locate the lost vessel are ongoing, but despite the submarine has the capacity to be submerged for 96 hours, the former commander of the Israeli Navy's Submarine Flotilla is not sure this story will have a happy ending.
“This could indicate to us the situation in which we are apparently more successful in space than in the deep sea regarding this matter,” Brigadier General (res.) Prof. Shaul Horev, head of the Maritime Policy and Strategy Research Center at the University of Haifa, told Ynet.
"We know from previous cases that when communication is lost, this eventually ends in tragedy. A recent example includes an Argentine submarine that disappeared and sank in the Indonesian region.
"However, this is a subject we experienced with the submarine in 1968. Therefore, it is an occurrence that repeatedly highlights the challenges of reaching the depths of the sea, as we see in this case," he added, referring to INS Dakar, an Israel submarine that sank and disappeared, and whose remains were only found decades later.
Billionaire Hamish Harding, chairman of the global sales company Action Aviation, was identified as one of the missing tourists who disappeared as they were on their way to see the wreckage of the Titanic, as was Titanic expert researcher Paul-Henri Nargeolet, chief executive and founder of OceanGate Expeditions, Stockton Rush, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman, According to a Sky News report.
Prof. Horev emphasized that while there have been significant advancements in submersible technology, there remain substantial challenges when it comes to exploring the depths of the ocean.
"Autonomous vehicles, namely submarines without humans, are conducting underwater operations at very, very deep depths, and I believe that malfunctions are relatively rare," Horev says.
"Let's talk a little about the unique aspects of submarines that carry people. Every ten meters we go deeper, we are exposed to one more unit of atmospheric pressure. So, someone who wants to reach depths of four kilometers, where the Titanic is located, must withstand immense pressures and build the vessel's structure like this submarine, which is a pioneer in safety.
"Now we can descend with such a submarine to great depths with people onboard, and we're talking about a total of five individuals she can accommodate. There should be an operator or two and the rest are tourists. It's not an easy task and can lead to several malfunctions.
"We still don't know exactly what happened because we haven't established contact with her. Now, let's assume she survives. While we're talking, she is in an atmosphere where she can't survive unless she adds oxygen because they're in an atmosphere where oxygen is depleting. She has supplies that she can tap into, but once that runs out, it's done.
"Therefore, unfortunately, when it comes to sending humans into the depths of the ocean, we are currently lagging behind compared to what has been achieved in space, although the conditions are much more complex."