"OceanGate has suspended all exploration and commercial operations." The company said in a message on top of its website on Thursday, 6 July 2023.
OceanGate, the US-based company that owned and operated the Titan submersible that imploded and killed all five passengers on board, has suspended all exploration and commercial operations, according to its website.
(Photo: www.oceangateexpeditions.com)
OceanGate, the US-based company that owned and operated the Titan submersible that imploded and killed all five passengers on board, has suspended all exploration and commercial operations, according to its website. OceanGate had planned two expeditions to see the wreck of Titanic for June 2024, its website showed.
The firm also featured excursions to the Bahamas and the Portuguese archipelago of Azores on its website.
The submersible went missing on 18 June and was declared imploded by the US Coast Guard on 22 June. The “catastrophic implosion” of the submersible killed all five on board - CEO Stockton Rush, Pakistani billionaire Shahzada Dawood and Dawood’s 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood, British businessman Hamish Harding, and French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet. Authorities stated that the investigation, which the US Coast Guard will lead, will try to stop similar mishaps in the future.
Last week, the US Coast Guard searched the ocean and retrieved wreckage and probable human remains from the submersible Titan. After examining the debris, more information on the implosion's cause would become clearer.
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who was on the submersible, has drawn criticism for its carbon fibre design and construction. Previously, Stockton had defended the choice to make the Titan out of carbon fibre, stating that he thought it would have a higher strength-to-buoyancy ratio than titanium.
Despite the company's website announcing that "OceanGate has suspended all exploration and commercial operations," the site still includes highlight videos of equipment and excursions and details of expedition options, including visiting the Titanic wreckage.
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