Despite continuing to advertise deep dive trips to the Titanic even after the imploded remains of its Titan submersible were found, confirming the death of its five passengers, OceanGate Expeditions has “suspended all exploration and commercial operations,” according to a statement on the company’s website.
The deep sea company has been under intense scrutiny since the Titan submersible first went missing. Over the years, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush flouted safety concerns as an impediment to “innovation,” and he even went so far as to call warnings that he’s going to kill someone a “serious personal insult.” Stockton died aboard the submersible when it imploded.
According to ABC News, the disaster has sparked a multi-agency investigation into the doomed OceanGate dive:
“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,” Marine Board of Investigation Chair Capt. Jason Neubauer said in a statement on June 28.
The U.S. Coast Guard is leading an investigation into the deadly incident, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, which said it will “contribute to their efforts.”
According to a former NTSB investigator, the analysis of the Titan wreckage as well as OceanGate’s operations could take months due to the unprecedented nature of the disaster.
“This is the first fatality on a passenger carriage submarine I can think of and certainly the first one going into Titanic at this depth,” Tom Haueter told ABC News.
(Via ABC News)