There's no stopping for OceanGate Expeditions as the firm is still advertising trips to the Titanic wreckage, less than a fortnight after its Titan submersible imploded while on its deep-sea journey to the Titanic wreck, killing all five passengers onboard including the company's CEO Stockton Rush.
According to the website of the undersea exploration company, they have listed two missions to the Titanic scheduled for 2024. The first mission is scheduled from June 12 to June 20, and the second mission is scheduled from June 21 to June 29. The cost of participating in these missions is stated as $250,000 per person, New York Post reported.
At Your Own Risk
OceanGate, the undersea exploration company, mentions that the price of $250,000 per person includes various amenities and services. This includes one submersible dive, private accommodations, comprehensive training, expedition gear, and all meals provided during the duration of the expedition, the outlet reported.
"Arrive in the seaside city of St. John's to meet your expedition crew and board the vessel that will take you to the wreck of the RMS Titanic," the listing states for the first day in Newfoundland, Canada.
"You'll familiarize yourself with life on a working vessel as we begin the 400-nautical-mile journey to the wreck site."
On the second day of the expedition, the company cites that participants will sail through the North Atlantic to reach the dive site.
The following four days will be dedicated to the mission itself, exploring the wreck of the Titanic, which rests approximately 12,500 feet deep.
The exploration will be conducted aboard the vessel Titan, pieces of which were retrieved Wednesday along with "presumed human remains."
"The content expert onboard will point out key features, be they of the wreck itself or the life that calls this corner of the ocean home," the company says.
"Enjoy hours of exploring the wreck and debris field before making the two-hour ascent to the surface."
According to the information on the website, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a French Titanic expert aged 77, is listed as one of the potential "content experts" who may participate in the expedition. Nargeolet was one of the five passengers who perished in the recent Titan disaster.
"PH Nargeolet is a renowned Titanic expert, having led six expeditions to the Titanic wreck site and lectured at numerous Titanic exhibitions around the world. He's known as 'Titanic's Greatest Explorer,'" OceanGate says.
Grim Discovery
The other four who lost their lives in the implosion on June 18 are Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, 61, British billionaire Hamish Harding, 58, billionaire Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son, Sulaiman Dawood.
Following the tragic incident, Stockton Rush, who was operating the ill-fated submersible, has come under significant criticism for allegedly disregarding significant safety concerns while charging affluent tourists $250,000 per person for the trip to the renowned wreck.
This came as the US Coast Guard said that "presumed human remains" are believed to have been found among the debris from the Titan submarine that was brought ashore on Wednesday.
The presumed human remains will be examined by American medical experts. Pelagic Research Services, the company responsible for the remotely operated vehicles that recovered the Titan submarine remains, said that they have now "successfully completed" their offshore operations.
These remains will be transported on a ship to a port in the United States, where they will undergo further testing and analysis.
The recent discoveries have surprised experts who initially believed that Titan had been completely destroyed in a "catastrophic implosion" during its voyage to the Titanic wreckage, resulting in the tragic deaths of all five people on board.
Several experts had earlier said that the remains of those onboard would likely never be recovered.
On Wednesday, officials announced that the remains were "carefully extracted from within the wreckage" that had been recovered earlier in the day.
"I am grateful for the coordinated international and interagency support to recover and preserve this vital evidence at extreme offshore distances and depths,' Marine Board of Investigation Capt. Jason Neubauer said in a statement.
"The evidence will provide investigators from several international jurisdictions with critical insights into the cause of this tragedy," he added.
However, Neubauer said that there is still a significant amount of work to be done in order to comprehend the events surrounding the Titan submarine and to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future.
The MBI (Marine Board of Investigation) will continue gathering evidence and conducting interviews with witnesses to contribute to a public hearing regarding the incident.
