Argentina's navy says that U.S and Russian ships carrying remotely operated vehicles capable of deep seafloor searches are joining other vessels hunting for an Argentine submarine that went missing in the South Atlantic 19 days ago.

Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said Monday that Russia's Yantar oceanographic research ship will arrive to the search area Tuesday. The U.S. Atlantis research vessel is expected to arrive Saturday.

They will join five vessels from Argentina and a Chilean ship combing the area of some 1,500 square miles (4,000 square kilometers).

An explosion occurred near the time and place where the ARA San Juan sub went missing with 44 crew members on Nov. 15. The navy says it is no longer looking for survivors although a multinational operation continues to search for the vessel.