Missing sub loses oxygen at 12.08pm: French vessel with vital equipment to save Titanic five arrives in critical last hours, but rescuers say they ‘hear underwater banging noises but can’t locate them’.

A French ship, regarded as the last hope for locating the missing Titanic submersible, has arrived at the search zone and is preparing to drop its remote-controlled sub, with oxygen for the five missing explorers expected to run out at noon today.

Titan lost contact with tour operators on Sunday, 435 miles south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, en route to the Titanic off the Canadian coast. On Sunday afternoon, the last ping of its homing device was heard directly above the most famous shipwreck in the world.

A countdown has begun with the vital oxygen supply expected to run out at 12.08 p.m. GMT (7.08 a.m. EST and 9.08 p.m. Sydney time), and a miracle is now required to locate it in time, as banging can still be heard every 30 minutes from the depths, but it has not yet been located.

It has arms that can cut cables or free a trapped or stranded vessel, and it might be able to attach a cable to the sub before a Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System hauls it several miles to the surface. The Horizon Arctic, which left Newfoundland yesterday and is racing to the area but will not arrive until later today, is believed to be carrying one of these individuals.

British billionaire Hamish Harding, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, French navy veteran PH Nargeolet, and Pakistani businessman Shahzad Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman are among the Titan Five. Mr. Nargeolet, who has visited the Titanic 35 times—more than anyone else—is believed to be the only person on board with the knowledge and experience to either assist rescuers in locating the passengers or free the ship if it is stuck on the ocean floor.

At least ten ships, two robot submarines, and several aircraft are scouring the Atlantic for any sign of Titan as sonar continues to detect a thudding sound emanating from the depths. However, the Coastguard has admitted that it does not know if the noise is the result of five men pounding on the side of their submarine or if it is simply the sound of the sea, which may include debris falling from the Titanic 12,500 feet below the surface.

However, even if a solution is found, it will take many hours to save Titan, meaning the oxygen could run out before they reach the surface. Overnight, rescue efforts continued and grew increasingly desperate, with only hours remaining to pinpoint the source of the ‘banging’ and save them.

Oisin Fanning has boarded the Titan submarine twice. This morning on BBC Breakfast, he stated, “There are no sounds down there.” The Titanic is silent, with no banging or other sounds. Therefore, it is likely that someone is tapping every 30 minutes to indicate their location. Today, oceanographer and water search expert Dr. David Gallo stated, ‘It’ll be nearly impossible. We require a miracle, but miracles do occur.

The Victor 6000 (pictured) can get to the depths needed and can help free or attach a cable to the Titan – if they can find it

Ships have come from both sides of the Atlantic and converged on the area above the Titanic’s wreckage

Titan’s mothership Polar Prince has been searching the area since Sunday and is zig-zagging the site. At least ten ships are on the sea above the Titanic

The pilot of a Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora maritime surveillance aircraft of 14 Wing flies a search pattern for the missing OceanGate submersible

The Titan, a tourist submersible that runs $250,000 tours of the doomed Titanic ship and is operated by OceanGate Expeditions, has been underwater since 8am on Sunday with five people on board

people are onboard, including British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding and Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, who is just 19

French Navy veteran PH Nargeolet (left) is in the sub along with Stockton Rush (right), CEO of the OceanGate Expedition