The unknown cost of the rescue operation for the lost submersible
The search mission included 10 vessels and required the collaboration of the US and Canadian governments
On Thursday the U.S. Coast Guard announced that it had found debris from the Titan submersible, missing since Sunday after setting off to explore the wreck of the Titanic. Although the causes of the vessel’s “catastrophic implosion” have yet to be determined, as well as the responsibilities derived from it, one of the most pressing questions now is the cost-sharing of the gigantic rescue mission.
The search mission included 10 vessels, supported by three U.S. Army C-130 aircraft, to comb an area of 20,000 square kilometers (7,722 square miles) to a depth of almost four kilometers (2.5 miles), while planes flew overhead in search of of any trace of the missing sub.
During the operation, the U.S. Coast Guard assumed coordination while the Canadian Army collaborated with sound buoys. In the final moments of the search, the French government contributed a Victor 600 robot, a deep-water remotely operated device.
For now, it has not been determined whether the company OceanGate Expeditions will bear any financial responsibility. Authorities have not provided information about the possibility of recovering the bodies of the five passengers who were on board the submersible.
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