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Missing Titanic submersible: The health risks facing the crew
It is a claustrophobic, terrifying prospect – being trapped in a 22ft submersible, potentially thousands of feet underwater, with oxygen running out.
The exact whereabouts of the Titanic submersible and the condition of the five crew onboard are unknown. It is thought the vessel may have less than 10 hours of oxygen remaining, creating a race against time to find the sub before it is too late.
Dr Ken Ledez, a hyperbaric medicine expert at Memorial University in St John’s, Newfoundland, told BBC News that running out of air was not the only danger those on board face.
The vessel may have lost electrical power, which is likely to have a role in controlling the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide inside the vessel.
As the oxygen level falls, the proportion of carbon dioxide being breathed out by the crew will be rising, with potentially fatal consequences.
“As levels of carbon dioxide build up, then it becomes sedative, it becomes like an anaesthetic gas, and you will go to sleep.”
Too much of the gas in a person’s bloodstream, known as hypercapnia, can kill them if not treated.
The ship was exploring the wreck of the Titanic which sank more than a century ago. Photo: AFP / Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution / Handout
Former Royal Navy submarine captain Ryan Ramsey says he looked at videos online of the inside of Titan and could not see a carbon dioxide removal system, known as scrubbers.
“That for me is the greatest problem of all of them,” he says.
At the same time, the crew are at risk from hypothermia, where the body gets too cold.
According to Capt Ramsey, if the sub is on the seabed, the water temperature will be about 0C. If it has also lost electricity, it will not be generating any power and therefore cannot generate heat.
Hypothermia, the lack of oxygen and the build-up of carbon dioxide within the sub mean the crew’s ability to make contact with the search and rescue mission, such as by banging on the hull at regular intervals to try and attract attention, will dwindle.
“If they’re unconscious, they’re not going to be able to do much to help themselves,” says Dr Ledez.
While the Coast Guard has warned there is probably little oxygen left, the crew may be able to conserve their supplies – at least for a while.
Ramsey says slowing their breathing would also help but admits this could be difficult considering the stress they would be under.
Dr Ledez says they could also spread out carbon dioxide-absorbing granules or reduce their power use if they still have electricity.
Despite all these challenges, he urges against cancelling the search-and-rescue operation too soon, saying they might be able to survive even when oxygen levels are very low.
“If anybody can survive in it, you know, it’s these individuals,” says Dr Ledez. “It just depends on them having power and depends on them having light to be able to find things and make these controls, but absolutely, they could still be alive.”
* This story was first published by the BBC.
VIA RNZ
The chief executive of the Parliamentary Service is confident there will be enough room to accommodate the increased number of MPs and their staff coming into Parliament.
On current numbers, up to 131 MPs could be sitting in the Chamber following the election, brought on by a record overhang result.
Clerk of the House of Representatives Dr David Wilson told the Spinoff that currently the debating chamber had enough chairs to seat 124 MPs – including the Speaker of the House – and work was being done to accommodate more by altering the seating arrangement.
In a statement, Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said planning for a larger Parliament had been going for “some time”.
“Now that the election results have confirmed an increase to the number of members we are looking at several options.
“We are confident we will be able to accommodate all members within the Chamber.”
VNP / Phil Smith
Gonzalez-Montero said office accommodation for members and their staff would be “stretched” for a short time, but the new Members’ Building was only a few months away from “practical completion”.
That building – located behind Parliament – was due to be ready to occupy in April next year and had capacity to accommodate around 30 backbench MPs.
“All members should be in fit-for-purpose accommodation from that point,” Gonzalez-Montero said.
Following the 2023 election, 123 MPs sat in the Chamber – a record number at the time. That decreased to 122 following the resignation of National MP Judith Collins.
Collins held the seat of Papakura and stepped down in May and Parliament voted against holding a by-election because it was too close to the election.
The election result also meant high-ranking National Party MPs like Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith, Nicola Willis and Gerry Brownlee – Speaker of the House and an MP for 30 years – would likely not make it back into Parliament.
Only resigning or retiring MPs were permitted to give a valedictory speech meaning none of them would get the chance to give a valedictory statement.
Asked if their would be special allowances for valedictories, Wilson said in a statement that normally only MPs were allowed to speak in the House but the House could suspend its own rules or temporarily alter them.
“It could do so to allow former members to address the House.”
Wilson said no such arrangements could be made until the next Parliament opened and members sworn in.
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