‘REMAIN HOPEFUL’

OceanGate Co-Founder Says He Believes There’s Still Time to Save Crew

“I continue to hold out hope for my friend and the rest of the crew.”

The co-founder of the company that organized the ill-fated dive to the wreck of the Titanic said Thursday that he still believes there’s time for the crew to be saved. Guillermo Sohnlein, who set up OceanGate with Stockton Rush in 2009, released a statement about the efforts to rescue the missing Titan submersible and its five passengers on the day that oxygen supplies in the vessel were forecast to run out. “Today will be a critical day in this search and rescue mission, as the sub’s life support supplies are starting to run low,” the statement read. “I’m certain that Stockton and the rest of the crew 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. I firmly believe that the time window available for their rescue is longer than what most people think.” His statement, which was made in a personal capacity and not on behalf of OceanGate or the crew’s families, encouraged “everyone to remain hopeful” that the men can be brought back safely. “I continue to hold out hope for my friend and the rest of the crew,” Sohnlein added.