Argentina's navy announced Thursday it was no longer searching for survivors of the San Juan submarine two weeks after it went missing with 44 crew aboard. 

Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said the "phase has changed" from rescue of the crewmembers to recovery of the vessel from the depths of the South Atlantic.

He said though it was not possible to confirm the crew had perished, "no evidence of a shipwreck was found in the areas explored" and the international rescue effort had continued for "twice the time" it was estimated they could have survived.