OceanGate was allegedly warned about structural issues with submersible five weeks ago

A search and rescue operation is underway in the Atlantic Ocean for a submersible vessel carrying five people that was exploring the wreckage of the Titanic. Speaking on the rescue efforts, Rear Admiral Chris Parry, British retired Royal Navy officer who was the first chair of the British Government’s Marine Management Organisation, claimed that a reliable informant alleges that OceanGate was informed that the submersible had structural defects five weeks ago:

The vessel was reported overdue about 435 miles south of St. John’s, Newfoundland. The Canadian Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, and other resources are involved in the search effort. The submersible, named Titan, submerged on Sunday morning, and its support vessel lost contact about an hour and 45 minutes later.

The submersible has a 96-hour oxygen supply, and efforts are being made to deploy a remotely operated vehicle to the site. Hamish Harding, a U.K. businessman and one of the mission specialists on board, was looking forward to conducting research at the Titanic site. The expedition aimed to document the deterioration of the Titanic wreck, which has been affected by metal-eating bacteria. Challenges faced by the rescuers include the remote location and the limited options if the submersible is beyond the continental shelf.

In addition, according to David Pogue, who was on the missing submersible last summer during an identical mission while reporting for CBS. The craft lost contact with the mother-ship for two and a half hours due to a failure in its text-messaging system, which is used since GPS can’t function accurately, or at all, underwater.