MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mar del Plata route becomes new lead in search for ARA San Juan

The ARA La Argentina destroyer took to sea Sunday from Puerto Belgrano to replace fellow destroyer ARA Almirante Brown in assisting Ocean Infinity

Efforts to retrieve the missing Argentine Navy submarine ARA San Juan changed course Sunday and now everything is “Area 6” for the operation, as the ship Seabed Constructor deployed its robots throughout it, the last one to be added to the search.

The five submarine autonomous vehicles available to the Seabed Constructor are already deployed only in this new area added by seabed exploring company Ocean Infinity on its return to the sea, following a technical stop last Tuesday in Comodoro Rivadavia.

Area 6 encompasses portions of other sectors already checked by the Argentine Navy as well as the beginning part of the route to Mar del Plata, which the ARA San Juan was to take after its last communication on the morning of November 15.

Area 6 is the seventh sector of the new search following Areas 1, 2, 3A, 3B, 4 and 5. It consists of 25 kilometres around the probable course of the ship towards the Mar del Plata base.

Most of the previous leads checked by Ocean Infinity turned out to be marine relief formations.

Two elements found in Area 5 are still under study aboard the Norwegian-flagged Seabed Consructor and the results of these tests are yet to be known, but the likelihood that either of them will lead to the San Juan is not big enough to make the experts hopeful.

The ARA La Argentina destroyer took to sea Sunday from Puerto Belgrano to replace fellow destroyer ARA Almirante Brown in assisting Ocean Infinity.

Navy ships ensure that there are no fishing vessels that interfere with the tasks of the Seabed Constructor and provide logistical support.