Russia sends advanced research vessel to search for missing Argentine submarine

The Russian military has deployed its newest oceanographic research vessel to assist in the search for the missing submarine ARA San Juan.

The Yantar ship in operation. Illustration photo: TASS

The Russian Defense Ministry has dispatched the oceanographic research vessel Yantar to the southern Atlantic Ocean to assist in the search for the missing Argentine submarine ARA San Juan. The Yantar, commissioned into the Northern Fleet in 2015, is Russia’s most modern research vessel and is equipped with two autonomous submersibles capable of operating at depths of up to 6,000 meters, TASS reported.

Previously,Russian President Vladimir Putin called the President of ArgentinaMauricio Macrito propose deploying survey vessels and sailors experienced in carrying out similar operations.The Kremlin said Mr Putin had encouraged Mr Macri, and the two leaders agreed that their defence ministries would maintain contact on the issue.

Argentine navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said the search for the missing submarine ARA San Juan is entering an urgent phase, as the vessel may run out of oxygen on November 22.The San Juan's last contact was seven days earlier, when it was in the San Jorge Bay, midway through a journey of hundreds of kilometers from its base in Tierra del Fuego in southern Argentina to the northeastern city of Mar del Plata.

The Argentine navy said the submarine's captain reported a "failure" in the battery system and an "electrical short circuit" shortly before contact was lost.Experts say rescuers will face many challenges in finding the submarine, a type of weapon designed to hide under the sea and avoid all methods of positioning.

The San Juan was one of the largest submarines built by Germany after World War II.

More than 4,000 people, nearly 30 ships and planes from 12 countries, including the US, Chile, Brazil and the UK, are searching for the ARA San Juan submarine in an area of ​​500,000 square kilometers off the coast of San Jorge Bay, central Argentina.Experts say what is needed now is a seabed mapping device, similar to the system used in the search for the missing Malaysian plane MH370 in 2014.

According to VNE