The company that operated the doomed submersible that imploded in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean is still advertising expeditions to the Titanic wreckage on its website.
Reports emerged last week that OceanGate Expeditions closed its doors indefinitely after its CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, French diving expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old Suleman died when the company’s Titan sub imploded while on a tour to the Titanic’s wreck.
But more than 10 days after the tragedy - and a week after it was confirmed, the OceanGate website still features available dates for two separate eight-day expeditions next year.
One pilot, one “content expert” and three mission specialists — or passengers without any previous experience needed who pay $250,000— participate in every dive. OceanGate not only hosted tours to the famed shipwreck, but also to the Azores Archipelago in Portugal and to the Bahamas.
Expeditions to the Titanic began in Newfoundland, Canada, where a ship set sail from St John’s port on a 400-nautical-mile journey to the wreck site. The doomed expedition last week was on its third day when the Titan was launched onto the sea and lost contact with its mothership just one hour and 45 minutes into its descent.
The company’s future is now uncertain, as industry experts have told the New York Post that all planned expeditions to the Titanic have been called off.
The Explorers Club said it knows of no plans still in place for scientific exploratory trips to the Titanic’s wreck 12,500 feet below the ocean’s surface. Commercial expeditions have also been reportedly grounded. The Independent has reached out to OceanGate for comment.
The company previously faced backlash over a since-deleted job advert for a sub pilot position.
The post, which was featured on Indeed and OceanGate’s website, remained visible four days into the frantic search for the missing passengers. It was removed sometime on 23 June, a day after the US Coast Guard announced that debris from the Titan had been found 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic.
Large pieces of debris from Titan were transported to St John’s harbour on Wednesday by the Horizon Arctic ship, where they were seen being unloaded by a crane. The Coast Guard announced just hours later that medical professionals will formally analyse presumed human remains found on the debris.
Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic— (The Canadian Press via AP)
Speaking after the evidence was recovered, the Marine Board of Investigation’s (MBI) chairman, Captain Jason Neubauer, said: “I am grateful for the coordinated international and inter-agency support to recover and preserve this vital evidence at extreme offshore distances and depths.
“The evidence will provide investigators from several international jurisdictions with critical insights into the cause of this tragedy.
“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.”
The USCG said the MBI intends to transport the evidence to a port in the US where they will be able to facilitate further analysis and testing.
The MBI will continue evidence collection and witness interviews to inform a public hearing about the incident, the USCG added.
This photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions shows a submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic— (AP)
Safety investigators from the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada made inquiries on Titan’s main support ship, the Polar Prince, after it docked in St John’s harbour on Saturday. The TSB said it has inspected, documented, and catalogued the materials from the debris of Titan for its safety investigation.
The safety body said its investigation team has taken possession of the deep-sea vessel’s voyage data recorder, which has been sent to its engineering laboratory in Ottawa for further analysis.
The TSB said it will continue to cooperate with the US, UK, and France in accordance with international agreements, as they are “substantially interested states” under the International Maritime Organisation Casualty Investigation Code.
