The corporation that ran the submarine that collapsed while diving to the Titanic wreck, killing all five onboard, said on Thursday that it has put a stop to all operations.
The US Coast Guard announced on June 22 that the Titan sub had suffered a catastrophic implosion, putting an end to a rescue effort that had gripped the whole globe since it went missing on June 18.
Two weeks after the incident, in which firm CEO Stockton Rush perished, US-based OceanGate announced on its website that it has “suspended all exploration and commercial operations”.
Along with them were the French submarine specialist Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani-British billionaire Shahzada Dawood, and his son Suleman. British adventurer Hamish Harding was also on board.
The sub debris was discovered on the ocean bottom and transported to the port of St. John’s, Newfoundland in eastern Canada. Last week, experts uncovered putative human remains from the wreckage.
The Titan, around the size of an SUV vehicle, collapsed under the crushing pressure of the North Atlantic at a depth of more than two miles (almost four kilometers), causing the victims to reportedly perish instantaneously.
1,600 feet (500 meters) off the Titanic’s bow, which is located 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, a debris field was discovered.
OceanGate Expeditions paid $250,000 for a seat on their sub, but after the implosion, earlier worries about its safety practices were revealed.
The Titan lost touch around an hour and a half after it fell into the water, and the US Coast Guard and Canadian officials have initiated investigations to determine what caused the catastrophe.
With 2,224 passengers and crew on board, the Titanic sunk in 1912 while on its first trip from England to New York. Over 1,500 individuals passed away.
It was discovered in 1985 and has since attracted both underwater visitors and nautical professionals.
