OceanGate submersible, Titan, was on a mission to explore the historic wreckage of Titanic when it suddenly lost communication with its mother ship. After days of searching, debris from the submersible was found about 1,600 feet from the Titanic wreckage. The wreckage was consistent with the disastrous loss of the vessel’s pressure chamber. Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard announced that the search effort had ended, and investigation into the accident was ongoing. The passengers killed were a Pakastani businessman and his son, Shahzada and Suleman Dawood; British businessman Hamish Harding; French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet; and Stockton Rush, the CEO of the vessel’s operator, OceanGate Expeditions.
Remotely operated vehicles will be used to map out the vessel’s debris field, which is more than 2 miles deep in the North Atlantic Ocean. Navy officials have detected an “anomaly consistent with an implosion or explosion” on Sunday in the area where the Titan was diving when it went silent. This information was “immediately shared” with the commanders leading the search effort and was used to narrow the search area. Officials have yet to determine whether this implosion happened when the submersible stopped communicating.
The risk of such accidents is always high, and OceanGate is facing renewed scrutiny of its operations and the development of the Titan craft amid mounting reports of safety concerns, mechanical problems, and an alleged disregard for regulatory processes. At least two former OceanGate employees voiced safety concerns about the development of the vessel’s hull years ago, including about testing procedures and the thickness of its carbon fiber frame. Discovery Channel’s “Expedition Unknown” host Josh Gates and his team decided not to film a segment on the vessel as it “became clear to us at that time that there was a lot that needed to be worked out with the sub.” The company has also grappled with a series of mechanical problems and inclement weather conditions that forced the cancellation or delays of trips in recent years, according to court records.
The expedition was a “truly extraordinary” once-in-a-lifetime experience, and a seat on the expedition cost each passenger $250,000. The tragedy has brought renewed scrutiny of OceanGate’s operations and safety practices. OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein defended the company’s approach to designing and deploying the vessel, stating that crew members’ deaths are a “tragic loss for the families and for the ocean exploration community in general” and noted the inherent risk in such expeditions.
The victims include two veteran explorers and a father-son duo from a prominent Pakistani business family. Acclaimed French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet was accompanying the mission as a content expert intimately familiar with the Titanic wreckage. British businessman Hamish Harding, a passionate explorer, owned the aircraft brokerage Action Aviation. Pakastani billionaire Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman were also on the Titan. Their family’s business, Dawood Hercules Corp., is one of Pakistan’s largest corporations.
Read More of this Story at www.cnn.com – 2023-06-23 10:20:00
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