OceanGate suspends exploration, commercial operations after Titan submersible implosion

The submersible was reported missing on June 18 and the US Coast Guard and Canadian authorities on June 22 declared that the vessel had suffered a “catastrophic implosion” killing all the five—CEO Stockton Rush, British businessman Hamish Harding; French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet; Pakistani billionaire Shahzada Dawood; and Dawood’s 19-year-old son, Suleman Dawood —onboard, ending the rescue operation that had captured the world’s attention for days.

Though, the company’s website on Thursday announced that “OceanGate has suspended all exploration and commercial operations”, but the site still features highlight reels of equipment and expeditions, as well as descriptions of expedition offerings such as touring the Titanic wreckage.

The US Coast Guard last week recovered presumed human remains from the submersible’s wreckage that was found on the ocean floor and taken to the port of St. John’s, Newfoundland in east Canada. The victims were supposed to have died instantly when Titan submersible imploded under the crushing pressure of the North Atlantic at a depth of more than two miles.

“There is still a substantial amount of work to be done to understand the factors that led to the catastrophic loss of the Titan and help ensure a similar tragedy does not occur again,” ABC news reported quoting Marine Board of Investigation Chair Capt. Jason Neubauer.

The OceanGate charged $250,000 for a seat on its submersible to the 111-year-old remains of the Titanic – about 12,500 feet below the ocean’s surface. The company had conducted over 14 expeditions and more than 200 dives across the Pacific, Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, according to the OceanGate’s website.

Updated: 07 Jul 2023, 01:53 AM IST