Missing Titanic sub could run out of oxygen Thursday morning: officials

A growing number of ships and planes have joined the search for a submersible that has been missing since descending to the wreck of the Titanic on Sunday morning.

A growing number of ships and planes have joined the search for a submersible that has been missing since descending to the wreck of the Titanic on Sunday morning.

"This is a complex search effort which requires multiple agencies with subject matter expertise and specialized equipment," Capt. Jamie Frederick of the U.S. Coast Guard told reporters during a press conference in Boston on Tuesday. "To date, those search efforts have not yielded any results."

Time is of the essence in the search, which is taking place approximately 700 kilometres off the coast of Newfoundland. As of Tuesday afternoon, the sub was believed to have about 40 hours of oxygen remaining, which could sustain the five people aboard until Thursday morning.

The van-sized sub, known as Titan, was last seen Sunday when it deployed around 6 a.m. from a Canadian research icebreaker named the Polar Prince. Operated by the company OceanGate, Titan lost contact with surface crews one hour and 45 minutes into the expedition, which originally set sail from St. John's, N.L.

Notified hours later on Sunday afternoon, the U.S. Coast Guard is now leading the air and sea operation to locate the submersible with assistance from others like Canada's coast guard and air force.

Here's what we know so far about the missing submersible:

The submersible is carrying five people: Hamish Harding, a billionaire and explorer, Paul-Henry (PH) Nargeolet, a French explorer, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, members of a prominent Pakistani family, and OceanGate CEO and Titan pilot Stockton Rush.