Plan to fly over Jersey equipment for Titanic sub search called off

Tuesday 20 June 2023

A plan to send a military plane to Jersey to fly specialist equipment from the island to help in the search for the lost Titanic submersible has been called off.

A remotely-operated vehicle provided by Guernsey-registered deep sea specialists Magellan was awaiting approval to leave Jersey to join the rescue effort for a submersible that went missing in the Atlantic over the weekend.

The rescue equipment is stored at the company's base in Jersey, and includes a specialised winch with a 7,000m synthetic rope which is designed for deep water operations.

The submersible 'Titan' is operated by privately held company OceanGate and was taking passengers to visit the shipwreck of the Titanic when it lost contact with tour operators on Sunday morning with five people aboard –including British billionaire, Hamish Harding.

The vessel, which had an oxygen supply of 96 hours, went missing an hour-and-a-half into its dive and a multinational rescue mission has been launched involving teams from US and Canadian Coast Guard services and private vessels.

Pictured: The submersible 'Titan', which was taking passengers to visit the shipwreck of the Titanic, lost contact with tour operators on Sunday morning with 5 people aboard.

The 'Titan's' air supply is due to run out around 12:00 on Thursday UK time. 

According to The Telegraph, the team from Magellan were waiting at Jersey Airport for approval to take-off since 07:00 yesterday.

They reportedly received clearance from the UK Ministry of Defence to leave UK airspace, but were not given the go-ahead from the United States' government. 

Ports of Jersey stated that they were expecting a military transport aircraft to arrive in the island to pick up the equipment this afternoon. However, they have now confirmed to Express that they were no longer expecting the military transport to arrive. 

Bretton Hunchak, former president of RMS Titanic Inc – the company which holds the salvage rights for the Titanic – told The Telegraph that US officials would prefer to use their own vessel which can reach 3,000m below water. Magellan’s vessel can allegedly reach depths of up to 5,000m.

Guernsey-based Magellan also recently produced the first full-sized digital scan of the Titanic last summer, with two of the firms submarines putting together 700,000 images of the wreck.

Magellan's statement:

Magellan released a statement this afternoon:

Magellan is 100% focused on supporting the rescue mission to recover the submersible. We were contacted by OceanGate early Monday, UK time, June 19, and immediately offered our knowledge of the specific site and also our expertise operating at depth considerably in advance of what is required for this incident. OceanGate instructed us to mobilise and “use the means necessary to fly the needed equipment and crew to St. John’s, Newfoundland as soon as possible, stating time is of the essence.”

We have been working full-time with UK and US agencies to secure the necessary air support to move our specialist equipment and support crew. We are ready to support, and we are fully mobilised to help.

Magellan does not wish to comment on any specific media report. We also recognize the important role the media plays in disseminating accurate information to the public. We kindly request your cooperation in responsibly reporting on this incident, ensuring that the information shared is accurate and verified. We understand the need for information, but it is equally essential that we as a company focus on the ongoing rescue efforts.

Our thoughts, prayers, and hopes remain with those on board the submersible, as well as with their families and loved ones.

Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.