The company behind the doomed Titan expedition that left five people dead is still advertising trips to the Titanic wreckage, it has emerged.
Investigations are continuing into what went wrong during the catastrophic voyage, which saw Oceangate Expeditions’ CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, French diving expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old Suleman killed when the sub imploded.
On Wednesday the US Coast Guard announced that “presumed human remains” had been found near the wreck of the Titan submarine.
While many had presumed that OceanGate Expeditions had ceased operating in the wake of the tragedy, the company’s website appears to be advertising more expeditions to the Titanic wreckage for 2024.
Titan lost contact with tour operator OceanGate Expeditions an hour and 45 minutes into the two-hour descent to the wreckage, with the vessel reported missing eight hours after communication was lost on Sunday, 18 June. Several days of rescue attempts followed before the US Coast Guard confirmed that debris consistent with an implosions had been found on 22 June.
British adventurer Hamish Harding and father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood were said to have been killed in a fatal implosion on board the vessel near the wreckage of the Titanic, alongside OceanGate Expeditions’ chief executive, Stockton Rush, and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
The debris was transported to shore in St John’s, Canada, on Wednesday, while presumed human remains were also found within the Titan wreckage.
Investigators will now try to determine what happened to the bodies on the Titan sub.
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada said it has inspected, documented, and catalogued the materials from the debris of Titan for its safety investigation.
The safety body said its investigation team has taken possession of the deep-sea vessel’s voyage data recorder, which has been sent to its engineering laboratory in Ottawa for further analysis.
The TSB said it will continue to co-operate with the US, UK, and France in accordance with international agreements, as they are “substantially interested states” under the International Maritime Organisation Casualty Investigation Code.
Here, Yahoo News UK rounds up everything we have learned about the doomed submersible in the last 24 hours…
Oceangate Expeditions still advertising trips
In the wake of news that the Titan had suffered a catastrophic implosion underwater, OceanGate Expeditions’ website appeared to have been taken down.
But it is now live again, and as of 30 June information on expeditions to the Titanic included two 2024 dates – 12-20 June and 21-29 June.
The information on the eight-day expedition says: “Follow in Jacques Cousteau’s footsteps and become an underwater explorer — beginning with a dive to the wreck of the RMS Titanic. This is your chance to step outside of everyday life and discover something truly extraordinary.
“Become one of the few to see the Titanic with your own eyes.”
It says “intrepid travelers” will sail from the Atlantic coast of Canada for an 8-day expedition to dive on the wreck that lies 380 miles offshore and 3,800 meters below the surface.
Debris brought to shore
Images from St John’s in Canada on Wednesday showed a crane unloading the Titan wreckage from the Horizon Arctic ship in the city’s harbour.
The US Coast Guard said the five major pieces of the sub have been found so far in a large debris field near the bow of the Titanic.
Pictures appeared to show the sub’s porthole with its window missing and titanium end caps from the vessel.
Read more: Titan submersible: What happens next? (PA, 4 min)
Large clumps of wires could be seen jutting out of the debris, which will now be studied to determine exactly what happened on board the doomed sub.
Pelagic Research Services – whose remote operating vehicle (ROV) discovered the debris fields – said on Wednesday its team is “still on mission”.
A statement read: “They have been working around the clock now for 10 days, through the physical and mental challenges of this operation, and are anxious to finish the mission and return to their loved ones.”
Watch: Father and son who died on Titanic submersible were ‘best friends’
Presumed human remains found
Within the debris found and brought ashore were presumed human remains, the US Coast Guard said.
US medical professionals will now formally analyse the remains, the Coast Guard said in a statement.
Speaking after the evidence was recovered, the Marine Board of Investigation’s (MBI) chairman, Captain Jason Neubauer, said: “I am grateful for the co-ordinated international and inter-agency support to recover and preserve this vital evidence at extreme offshore distances and depths.
“The evidence will provide investigators from several international jurisdictions with critical insights into the cause of this tragedy.
“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.”
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) previously said they are looking into the five deaths.
How many times has the Titan sub been to the Titanic?
The Titan sub is believed to have visited the Titanic a total of 13 times.
OceanGate, the owner of the Titan sub, attempted two dives during each excursion, but weather or technical malfunctions stopped the dives before they could be completed.
Titan completed six dives to the Titanic in 2021 and see in in 2022, according to OceanGate.
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