The firm that operated the sub that imploded on a dive to the Titanic disaster, killing all five people on board, announced Thursday that all operations had been suspended indefinitely.
The Titan submarine went missing on June 18, and the US Coast Guard announced on June 22 that it had suffered a catastrophic implosion, bringing an end to a rescue attempt that had enthralled the world.
OceanGate, situated in the United States, announced on its website that it has “suspended all exploration and commercial operations” two weeks after the incident, in which firm CEO Stockton Rush was killed.
British adventurer Hamish Harding, French submarine expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Pakistani-British tycoon Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman were also on board.
Last week, experts collected supposed human remains from the sub wreckage that was discovered on the ocean floor and transported them to the port of St. John’s, Newfoundland, in east Canada.
The victims are thought to have killed instantly when the Titan, roughly the size of an SUV, imploded at a depth of more than two miles (almost four kilometers) under the crushing pressure of the North Atlantic.
A debris field was discovered 1,600 feet (500 meters) off the Titanic’s bow, 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland.
OceanGate Expeditions paid $250,000 for a seat on their submarine, although previous complaints about company safety policies were revealed following the implosion.
The US Coast Guard and Canadian authorities have launched probes into the cause of the tragedy, which occurred after the Titan lost contact about an hour and 45 minutes after plunging into the ocean.
The Titanic hit an iceberg and sank in 1912 during its maiden voyage from England to New York with 2,224 passengers and crew on board. More than 1,500 people died.
It was found in 1985 and has become a lure for nautical experts and underwater tourists.
