MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Saturday, the Argentinian officials said the country's naval bases registered seven satellite calls, but the connection with the crew of the submarine has not been established yet.
"While some reports indicated seven satellite phone call attempts have been made on November 18, Iridium can confirm that these were not attempted on our network… Unfortunately, our network data does not show any communications or communications attempts from the device since November 15th at 11:36 GMT, when the last call from the device was made," the company said in a statement.
Iridium Communications added that there could be another company's equipment on the submarine and it could be engaged in the crew's attempts at distress calls.
A number of countries have offered their help, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Chile and others.
The United States is sending the Submarine Rescue Chamber and underwater intervention Remotely Operated Vehicle to Argentina to help search for the missing submarine, the US Naval Forces Southern Command said in a statement.
The US is also sending Bluefin 12D (Deep) drone and three Iver 580 drones as well as aircraft, equipment and personnel to help Argentina in its search operation.
The UK Royal Navy has sent an elite submarine rescue team to assist in the search, according to the Telegraph newspaper.
The Argentine authorities reman in constant contact with the relatives of the missing submarine crew, Argentina's President Mauricio Macri said.
44 people are missing in the ocean right now. My thoughts and prayers go to them and their families, the whole crew of submarine A.R.A San Juan.🇦🇷#hope #neverlosehope #missing #ocean #sea #submarine #sanjuan #sundaymorning pic.twitter.com/o8PjHky0Ol
— Pam Flores (@pammdq) 19 ноября 2017 г.
Argentine naval spokesman Enrique Balbi earlier said that the submarine may have suffered a communications error. According to the newspaper Clarín, the submarine could have experieced a fire or a technical failure.
According to national Argentine newspaper La Nacion, the submarine, which is 66 meters long, has a diesel-electric vessel that underwent a complex repair and engineering work in 2008, was constructed in Germany in 1985 and joined the Argentine Navy a year later.
