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OceanGate, the company that manufactured the Titan submersible, has suspended all its commercial operations and exploration. The statement appeared on a small banner header at the top of the official website of the Washington-based diving company on Thursday, July 6.
The announcement came after the Titan submersible suffered a catastrophic implosion on June 18, killing all five people inside the vessel. The sub was set to visit the 111-year-old wreck of the RMS Titanic that had sunk in April 1912 and now lies about 12,500 feet under the North Atlantic Ocean, which is 10 times the Empire State Building’s height.
However, the official website still includes highlight reels of expeditions in addition to detailed information on expedition offers, including the tour of the Titanic wreckage. The company did not provide any other details regarding the suspension of exploration.
The news was shared on Twitter by several outlets and pages. @KinksterTweets responded to Daily Loud's tweet reporting OceanGate's announcement and wrote that the diving company has already proved that it collapses under pressure.
Netizens react to OceanGate suspending operations
The internet has already slammed the company and its deceased CEO, Stockton Rush, for ignoring all the cautions and warnings from other submarine experts before sending the sub on its Titanic tour.
Netizens think that the company's decision to suspend its other explorations and operations is a little too late and futile, as the lives of the five crew members on Titan have already been tragically claimed. Others noted that a suspension means a brief pause in the expeditions, not a complete stop.
A high-risk travel researcher from the University of Quebec, Alain Grenier, said that a tragic accident of this magnitude certainly draws attention. However, it would not lead to a complete shutdown of this type of underwater tourism.
“I think what will happen in the probably shorter than longer term is that it will raise even more interest. Once they can be convinced again that the activities are safe, then they will go back. The human nature is to think, 'Well, this will happen to other people. This won't happen to me. I will be more careful," he added.
OceanGate paid little to no heed to the safety concerns raised by others
The 23,000-pound vessel from OceanGate lost communication with its mother ship, the Polar Prince, after 1 hour and 45 minutes into its dive on June 18. The massive search-and-rescue operation held afterward made international headlines, getting many people around the world hooked on the topic.
On June 22, authorities confirmed that the submersible had suffered a catastrophic implosion. New details have surfaced since then about safety concerns and warnings about the Titan, including an ominous email from David Lochridge, a former employee of the company, who said that the submarine could fail.
Lochridge sent the mail to Rob McCallum, another former company associate, about Titan’s potential failure. He referred to Stockton Rush in the mail and wrote:
“I don’t want to be seen as a tattletale, but I’m so worried he kills himself and others in the quest to boost his ego.”
The internet has been abuzz with criticism towards OceanGate Expeditions for not doing enough test drives on the Titan before taking five people down to see the Titanic wreck.
