Oceangate suspends all operations after Titan submersible implodes
OceanGate Expeditions “has suspended all exploration and commercial operations” since a submersible carrying five passengers presumably imploded last month on its way to look at the Titanic shipwreck.
The company hasn’t released an official statement other than a banner at the top of its website about all operations being suspended.
Remains of the Titan submersible were recovered from the ocean floor and transported to a an unidentified U.S. port on June 28, said the Coast Guard. There were no survivors.
Former CEO of the company Stockton Rush was the pilot of the vessel and had been on the excursion multiple times. He has received lots of criticism for reportedly pushing past red flags and taking risks, including in a letter sent to Rush signed by three dozen people, calling for a certification process, reported The New York Times.
The other passengers on board included Hamish Harding, 58, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood.
A full-scale investigation is underway by the U.S. Coast Guard, teamed up with Canada, the United Kingdom and French authorities, as reported by the BBC.
“The evidence will provide investigators from several international jurisdictions with critical insights into the cause of this tragedy,” said Capt. Jason Neubauer, the chair of the Marine Board of Investigation, in a statement. “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.”
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