The disappearance of the Titan submersible near the Titanic shipwreck, 2023

    Press/Media: Expert comment

    Description

    During the week following the loss of contact with the deep-sea submersible Titan , I offered my expertise as a deep-sea ecologist and as someone who has travelled to simlar depths in a deep-sea submersible (3,500m). My name and the UoP featured in aover 2,800 publications worldwise. What is below is a small selection.

    Period20 Jun 2023 → 23 Jun 2023

    Media coverage

    1

    Media coverage

    Media contributions

    18

    Media contributions

    • TitleTitanic sub crew believed to have died instantly in ‘catastrophic implosion’
      Degree of recognitionInternational
      Media name/outletThe Guardian
      Media typeWeb
      Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
      Date23/06/23
      Producer/AuthorRichard Luscombe and Lois Beckett
      URLhttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/22/titanic-sub-titan-debris-field-search-area-latest
      PersonsNicolai Roterman
    • TitleWith the fate of those on Titanic-bound submersible known, focus turns to cause of fatal implosion
      Degree of recognitionInternational
      Media name/outletEuro News
      Media typeWeb
      Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
      Date23/06/23
      DescriptionNicolai Roterman, a deep-sea ecologist and lecturer in marine biology at the University of Portsmouth, said the disappearance of the Titan highlights the dangers and unknowns of deep-sea tourism.

      “Even the most reliable technology can fail, and therefore accidents will happen. With the growth in deep-sea tourism, we must expect more incidents like this.”
      URLhttps://www.euronews.com/2023/06/23/with-the-fate-of-those-on-titanic-bound-submersible-known-focus-turns-to-cause-of-fatal-im
      PersonsNicolai Roterman
    • TitleWill Titanic sub rescuers find the bodies of the five passengers, and what happens in a 'catastrophic implosion'?
      Degree of recognitionNational
      Media name/outletLBC
      Media typeWeb
      Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
      Date23/06/23
      DescriptionNicolai Roterman, a deep-sea ecologist at the University of Portsmouth, said: "The pressure down there at 4,000 metres is pretty high. About 5,800 PSI [pounds per square inch] at Titanic depth,' he said.

      "If they had any kind of leak, it would lead to an implosion and it would happen in an instant, very immediately.
      Producer/AuthorKit Heren
      URLhttps://www.lbc.co.uk/news/titan-sub-will-rescuers-find-bodies-what-happens-catastrophic-implosion/
      PersonsNicolai Roterman
    • TitleWhat will happen when oxygen runs out on lost Titanic sub? Experts claim CO2 levels inside 22ft vessel will act like a 'sedative' that suffocates the five missing adventurers in their sleep - but hypothermia could SAVE them
      Degree of recognitionInternational
      Media name/outletDaily Mail
      Media typeWeb
      Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
      Date22/06/23
      DescriptionDr Nicolai Roterman, a deep-sea ecologist and lecturer in marine biology at the University of Portsmouth, also warned the oxygen stored in the vessel could also increase the risk of an implosion.
      Producer/AuthorEMILY STEARN
      URLhttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12221957/Missing-Titanic-submersible-happens-oxygen-runs-OceanGates-Titan.html
      PersonsNicolai Roterman
    • TitleWhy The Submarine Visiting The Titanic ‘Instantaneously Imploded’
      Degree of recognitionInternational
      Media name/outletForbes
      Media typeWeb
      Country/TerritoryUnited States
      Date22/06/23
      DescriptionDr. Nicolai Roterman, a deep-sea ecologist and lecturer in marine biology at the University of Portsmouth, explains that at a depth of over 2 miles the Titan was subjected to more than 5,500 pounds per square inch (PSI) of pressure.

      If the sub failed, directly exposing passengers to those kinds of pressures, Roterman says that it would be over very quickly.
      Producer/AuthorEric Mack
      URLhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/ericmack/2023/06/22/why-the-tourist-submarine-visiting-the-titanic-may-have-instantaneously-imploded/
      PersonsNicolai Roterman
    • TitleDoomed Titanic Submersible Suffered a ‘Catastrophic Implosion’
      Degree of recognitionInternational
      Media name/outletDaily Beast
      Media typeWeb
      Country/TerritoryUnited States
      Date22/06/23
      DescriptionNicolai Roterman, a deep-sea ecologist and lecturer in marine biology at the University of Portsmouth in the U.K., also speculated that there may have been some kind of hull breach. If so, “The occupants would succumb to the ocean in a near instant, given the more than 5,500 pounds per square inch [PSI] pressure exerted by the ocean at the depth of 3,800m, which is 380 times the air pressure at the surface,” he said.

      Roterman added that fire was another “equally unpleasant possibility,” given the oxygen-rich environment inside the submersible.
      Producer/AuthorJustin Rohrlich; Josh Fiallo
      URLhttps://www.thedailybeast.com/missing-titanic-submarine-rescuers-find-debris-field-at-search-site
      PersonsNicolai Roterman
    • TitleThe Titan submersible imploded, killing all 5 on board, the US Coast Guard says
      Degree of recognitionInternational
      Media name/outletAPNews
      Media typeWeb
      Country/TerritoryUnited States
      Date22/06/23
      DescriptionA submersible carrying five people to the Titanic imploded near the site of the shipwreck and killed everyone on board, authorities said Thursday, bringing a tragic end to a saga that included an urgent around-the-clock search and a worldwide vigil for the missing vessel.
      Producer/AuthorPATRICK WHITTLE, HOLLY RAMER & LOLITA C. BALDOR
      URLhttps://apnews.com/article/missing-titanic-submersible-updates-6255308420cb542fab287224c3e9b1c1
      PersonsNicolai Roterman
    • TitleMissing Titanic sub imploded, Coast Guard says — Here's what went wrong
      Degree of recognitionInternational
      Media name/outletSalon
      Media typeWeb
      Country/TerritoryUnited States
      Date22/06/23
      DescriptionDr. Nicolai Roterman, a deep-sea ecologist and lecturer in marine biology at the University of Portsmouth, told Forbes, "If there was any kind of hull breach, the occupants would succumb to the ocean in a near instant."
      Producer/AuthorNICOLE KARLIS
      URLhttps://www.salon.com/2023/06/22/missing-titanic-sub-imploded-coast-guard-says--heres-what-went/
      PersonsNicolai Roterman
    • TitleLive: The Titanic Sub Lost At Sea
      Degree of recognitionNational
      Media name/outletITN/Channel 5
      Media typeTelevision
      Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
      Date22/06/23
      DescriptionA live special by ITN/Channel 5. Dan Walker and experts discuss developments in the hunt for the missing submersible.
      Producer/AuthorPresented by Dan Walker
      URLhttps://www.channel5.com/show/live-the-titanic-sub-lost-at-sea
      PersonsNicolai Roterman
    • TitleThe business of commercial deep sea journeys
      Degree of recognitionInternational
      Media name/outletDW News
      Media typeTelevision
      Country/TerritoryGermany
      Date22/06/23
      DescriptionA desperate search for a missing submersible near the wreck of the Titanic reached a critical stage on Thursday, with only hours remaining before the five people on board run out of oxygen. Rescue organizers rushed more ships and vessels to the site of the disappearance, hoping to locate the tiny vessel after detecting underwater sounds for a second straight day.
      URLhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nreVe1eAEHI
      PersonsNicolai Roterman
    • TitleThe Titan submersible imploded, killing all 5 on board, U.S. Coast Guard says
      Degree of recognitionInternational
      Media name/outletCNBC
      Media typeWeb
      Country/TerritoryUnited States
      Date22/06/23
      DescriptionA submersible carrying five people to the Titanic imploded near the site of the shipwreck and killed everyone on board, authorities said Thursday, bringing a tragic end to a saga that included an urgent around-the-clock search and a worldwide vigil for the missing vessel.
      URLhttps://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/22/missing-titanic-submersible-rescuers-make-last-push.html
      PersonsNicolai Roterman
    • TitleTitanic sub: Safety concerns raised about missing submersible
      Degree of recognitionInternational
      Media name/outletBBC
      Media typeWeb
      Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
      Date21/06/23
      DescriptionA former employee of OceanGate - the company that operates the missing Titan submersible - warned of potential safety problems with the vessel as far back as 2018.
      Producer/AuthorRebecca Morelle & Jake Horton
      URLhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-65977432
      PersonsNicolai Roterman
    • TitlePlayStation controller and acoustic messaging: How the missing Titanic tourist sub works
      Degree of recognitionInternational
      Media name/outletABC News
      Media typeWeb
      Country/TerritoryUnited States
      Date21/06/23
      DescriptionThe submersible that was reported missing while on a tour of the underwater wreckage of the Titanic is an unorthodox vessel with a relatively unproven history, according to company press materials and experts familiar with underwater vehicles.
      Producer/AuthorPeter Charalambous
      URLhttps://abcnews.go.com/US/playstation-controller-acoustic-messaging-how-missing-titanic-tourist-sub-works/story?id=100256552
      PersonsNicolai Roterman
    • TitleMissing Titanic submersible: Banging sounds heard in search for lost sub Titan
      Degree of recognitionInternational
      Media name/outletLiveScience
      Media typeWeb
      Country/TerritoryUnited States
      Date21/06/23
      DescriptionThe sounds were coming at 30-minute intervals, according to an internal email update sent by the Department of Homeland Security's National Operations Center, which could mean the passengers on board are still alive.
      Producer/AuthorHannah Osborne
      URLhttps://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/rivers-oceans/missing-titanic-submersible-banging-sounds-heard-in-search-for-lost-sub-titan
      PersonsNicolai Roterman
    • TitleMissing Titanic sub: How crew will preserve oxygen supplies as reserves run out
      Degree of recognitionNational
      Media name/outletiNews
      Media typeWeb
      Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
      Date21/06/23
      Description‘It could be cold, it could be dark, and very cramped,’ said Dr Nicolai Roterman, a deep-sea ecologist.
      Producer/AuthorConnie Dimsdale
      URLhttps://inews.co.uk/news/missing-titanic-sub-crew-oxygen-supplies-2426692
      PersonsNicolai Roterman
    • TitleTitanic sub: "Needle in a haystack" says Portsmouth ecologist
      Degree of recognitionRegional
      Media name/outletBBC Radio Solent
      Media typeRadio
      Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
      Date21/06/23
      DescriptionDr Nicolai Roterman from the University of Portsmouth has experience of diving in subs.
      URLhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0fwf0s1
      PersonsNicolai Roterman
    • TitleUS coastguard says ‘we can still save the crew’ onboard Titan
      Degree of recognitionInternational
      Media name/outletThe Times
      Media typeWeb
      Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
      Date21/06/23
      DescriptionNicolai Roterman, a deep-sea ecologist at the University of Portsmouth, said: “It could conceivably be possible for a ROV to help un-snag the Titan, or to attach a tether.”
      URLhttps://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/titanic-submarine-latest-news-missing-submersible-search-rescue-live-2023-qnbw7svdx
      PersonsNicolai Roterman
    • TitleThe ‘exhilarating’ discoveries that lure scientists to the ocean deep
      Degree of recognitionInternational
      Media name/outletFinancial Times
      Media typePrint
      Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
      Date20/06/23
      Producer/AuthorClive Cookson
      URLhttps://www.ft.com/content/e5c8c98b-832b-4fef-af42-2fba2adcb55b
      PersonsNicolai Roterman