OceanGate suspends exploration operations following Titan tragedy
Jul 6, 2023, 12:30 PM
An undated photo shows tourist submersible belongs to OceanGate begins to descent at a sea. (Photo by Ocean Gate via Getty Images)
(Photo by Ocean Gate via Getty Images)
OceanGate, the Everett-based company that provided tours of the depths of the ocean in submersibles, has suspended operations following the loss of the Titan and its five people on board, the company confirmed with The Associated Press.
The company’s website said Thursday it “has suspended all exploration and commercial operations.”
The five people on the Titan voyaged to see the remains of the Titanic last month. The trip was led by pilot and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush and the four passengers were veteran Titanic diver and expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British aerospace executive Hamish Harding, and Pakistani business executive Shahzana Dawood and his son, Suleman.
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Last week, the U.S. Coast Guard said it had likely recovered human remains from the Titan wreckage. Officials noted the Coast Guard would transport the evidence recovered to a U.S.-based port where medical professionals could analyze the remains.
The website still features highlight reels of equipment and expeditions, as well as descriptions of expedition offerings, but all information about touring the Titanic wreckage has been shut down as of the time of reporting.
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The Titan was a 23,000-pound vessel – roughly the size of a minivan – and was approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes into a planned dive when it lost contact with its mother ship, the Polar Prince, June 18.
