Missing Titanic sub search continues as officials fear oxygen is running out

The vehicles used to search the sea floor for the missing Titan submersible are powerful machines that can be piloted through pitch-black darkness by an operator on the surface, Mike Welham, a marine operations specialist and author, told CNN.

One of the remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs, involved in the search discovered a debris field, according to the US Coast Guard and the vehicle's creator, Pelagic Research Services. It is not yet clear if the debris field is related to the missing submersible.

ROVs are very large and powerful, equipped with lights, cameras and technology that make them "purpose built to go to those depths," Welham told CNN's Dana Bash on Thursday.

The search vehicle is connected to a vessel that remains on the surface of the water as it drops down to the seabed. Once an ROV reaches deep sea, a pilot on the ship has to get oriented to its precise location.

"They will then begin a search pattern," Welham explained.

Welham said now that the search team has honed in on a debris field, the ROV will gather more video and try to determine whether the field is new debris related to the sub or part of the Titanic wreck itself.

A spokesperson for Pelagic Research Services confirmed to CNN that its remotely operated vehicle, which was the first to conduct a search for the missing OceanGate sub on the sea floor, found the debris field.

The US Coast Guard announced earlier today that a debris field had been found in the search area.  

Pelagic Research Services describes itself on its website as “an ocean services company that brings expedition planning, execution and state of the art sub-sea research tools to the ocean community on a global basis."

The US Coast Guard will go through a verification process to determine whether a debris field found in the search area for the missing Titanic submersible is related to the sub, Maximilian Cremer, the director of the Ocean Technology Group at the University of Hawaii Marine Center, told CNN.

The Coast Guard announced Thursday that a debris field was found using a remotely operated vehicle, but it remains unclear if it is connected in any way to the missing submersible. 

Cremer would "not be surprised to find a debris field near the wreck of the Titanic," he said in an interview with CNN's Dana Bash.

"I would have to see what it actually is," he continued, adding that he's unsure if the search vehicle transmits video.

Bash asked Cremer whether he believes it means anything that the US Coast Guard — which is also clearly aware of the debris types typically found on the ocean floor — made a point to share the news about the field.

"I'm sure they're now going through a verification process to see if it is actually associated with the stricken sub," he added.

On the sub's oxygen supply: Bash also asked about the submersible's oxygen supplies. The sub is now believed to be reaching the limits of its typical 96 hours of life support, having gone missing Sunday morning.

Experts interviewed by CNN have said crew members would realize that remaining calm and conserving energy was critical if they were awaiting rescue.

If there was an issue with the sub, "whatever failure it was," it's fair to assume "you would have some excitement and some panic going on for a brief period of time," Cremer said.

But, he continued, a "strong leader" on board would likely insist that everyone goes into "a sort of hibernation state, and uses as little oxygen as possible."

A US Coast Guard briefing at 3 p.m. ET will focus on the findings from a remotely operated vehicle "on the sea floor near the Titanic," according to news release from the Coast Guard.

Moments ago, the Coast Guard announced a debris field was discovered in the Titanic submersible search area, and authorities are “evaluating the information."

Here's who will be a part of the briefing later today:

The briefing will be held at the Coast Guard Base in Boston.

The US Coast Guard says a debris field was discovered by a remotely operated vehicle near the Titanic submersible search area, and authorities are “evaluating the information,” officials tweeted Thursday.

It is unclear if this debris field is connected to the missing submersible. 

The US Coast Guard also has announced a press briefing at 3 p.m. ET.

While life support supplies are now believed to be running low, a co-founder of the company that operates the missing Titanic submersible says he believes the crew's expertise will extend the "window available" for rescue.

Guillermo Söhnlein made the comments in a statement to CNN. He specified he was speaking on behalf of himself and not the company, OceanGate.

He said OceanGate CEO and co-founder Stockton Rush — who is aboard the sub — and the rest of the crew would have "realized days ago that the best thing they can do to ensure their rescue is to extend the limits of those supplies by relaxing as much as possible."

Based on the crew members' expertise, the "window available" for rescue is longer than "what most people think," Söhnlein said. 

Thursday will be a "critical day in this search and rescue mission," he added.

Time is of the essence: The amount of oxygen on the missing submersible, which has five people on board, is becoming a vital issue, experts have told CNN.

The Titan sub, which begins each trip to explore the wreckage of the Titanic with an estimated 96 hours of life support, has been missing since Sunday morning, setting up Thursday morning as a key target for finding the vessel and those on board.

The 21-foot submersible, with its rudimentary controls and no room for passengers to stretch out, would also have "limited rations" of food and water, according to officials.

A fellow adventurer and retired Navy captain interviewed by CNN have also said the crew would know to conserve oxygen by resting and remaining as calm as possible.

CNN's Nouran Salahieh contributed to this report.

A Canadian Navy ship carrying a medical team specializing in dive medicine and a hyperbaric recompression chamber that can hold as many as six people has arrived on scene in the Titanic submersible rescue effort, according to an official from the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Halifax of the Canadian Armed Forces.

The medical team and the hyperbaric chamber traveled on the HMCS Glace Bay, which arrived on scene just after 9 a.m. local time Thursday morning, said Lt. Cmdr. Len Hickey, senior public affairs officer, said in a statement.

“JRCC Halifax continues to assist MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) Boston in support of submarine search efforts,” Hickey said. Additionally, three Canadian Coast Guard Ships — John Cabot, Ann Harvey and Terry Fox — are on scene and can provided equipment and personnel if needed, he added.

CNN’s Laura Ly contributed to this report.

Pakistani teenager Suleman Dawood who is among five people trapped in the missing Titan submersible is a student at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.

The university confirmed to CNN on Thursday that Suleman is a Strathclyde Business School student and has just completed his first year.

The search for the missing Titan submersible is now in a critical stage, as rescue teams race to locate the vessel before oxygen supplies run out.

The submersible begins each trip with 96 hours of life support and has been missing since Sunday, setting up Thursday morning as a key target for finding the vessel and those on board. Officials fear the craft’s oxygen supply could run out this morning.

Medical personnel and search vessels with extra capabilities headed to the scene on Thursday, with time running out.

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