OceanGate continues advertising Titanic shipwreck trips despite recent tragedy

Washington: OceanGate, the undersea exploration company, is still promoting trips to the Titanic shipwreck on its website, despite the recent accident that claimed the lives of five passengers when their submersible Titan imploded. The company had previously closed these expeditions "indefinitely" following the incident.

According to a report in the Independent, OceanGate is advertising two upcoming trips to the Titanic wreck, scheduled for next year from June 12 to June 20 and June 21 to June 29. The price for these trips is listed at $250,000, which includes one submersible dive, private accommodations, comprehensive training, expedition equipment, and all meals during the voyage. Upon arrival in St. John's in Canada, the passengers will meet their expedition crew and board the vessel, said the website. The journey will commence, taking them 400 nautical miles to the RMS Titanic wreck site. Passengers will have the opportunity to experience life on a working vessel during this voyage.

The tragic incident that led to the suspension of OceanGate's expeditions occurred during the same submersible's journey to the Titanic wreckage. The company's Chief Executive Officer Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, French diving expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, along with his son Suleman, died when the sub imploded.

Recent developments in the recovery operation revealed presumed human remains and mangled debris from the Titan sub. The US Coast Guard reported that the recovered debris was offloaded in eastern Canada, marking the conclusion of a challenging search-and-recovery mission. Located 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic, the debris field was discovered on the seafloor, situated more than two miles below the ocean's surface and approximately 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

The OceanGate had also posted a job advertisement for a sub pilot position on its website during the search operations for the missing sub. However, the company faced significant backlash and later removed the posting.

OceanGate's decision to continue advertising trips to the Titanic shipwreck amidst the aftermath of the tragic sub incident has raised questions and concerns within the industry.