A Canadian-flagged ship carrying debris from the imploded submersible Titan docked in Canada on Wednesday as the investigation into the fatal disaster continues.
Horizon Arctic returned to port in St. John’s, N.L., carrying the remains of OceanGate Expedition’s Titan submersible. It went missing on June 18 while on an expedition to the wreckage of the Titanic in the North Atlantic. Five people were aboard the vessel.
The submersible’s disappearance set off an international rescue mission that captivated the world’s attention given its link to the Titanic. As well, the five passengers were reported to have 96 hours of breathable air — an added element that led to the frantic search.
While there was hope the crew would be found alive, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed last Thursday that searchers had found pieces of the Titan near the Titanic, and that it suffered a “catastrophic implosion.”
Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John’s on June 28.
Paul Daly/The Canadian Press
Pelagic Research Services, an ocean services company whose remotely operated vehicle (ROV) has been used in the Titan search and recovery, said in a statement Wednesday it had successfully completed off-shore operations.
Its team “is still on mission and will be in the process of demobilization from the Horizon Arctic this morning,” the company said, adding a press conference would be held from its base in East Aurora, N.Y., at a later date.
“They have been working around the clock now for ten days, through the physical and mental challenges of this operation, and are anxious to finish the mission and return to their loved ones.”
In an earlier statement, Pelagic said its ROV, Odysseus 6K, was the vehicle that located the Titan debris field last week. It had made a number of dives to the Titan, and the ROV’s heavy lift capabilities were utilized in the operation.
Pelagic said the recovery phase at the bottom of the North Atlantic was a “remarkably difficult and risky operation.” The Titanic sits four kilometres below surface level, and the Titan’s wreckage was found as close as 500 metres away from the historic ocean liner.
Evidence is being collected in the port of St. John’s in coordination with Canadian authorities.
Given its global impact, several international agencies have launched investigations into the Titan’s implosion.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has begun an investigation and has been speaking with those who travelled on the Polar Prince, the Canadian-flagged ship that took Titan and its crew out to sea.
Board chairperson Kathy Fox said officials will share the information it collects with other agencies, such as the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, which is taking part in the overall investigation.
RCMP have said officers will conduct a full investigation only if it appears criminal, federal or provincial laws were broken.
Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John’s on Wednesday.
Paul Daly/The Canadian Press
The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating what led to the tragedy, as well as make recommendations to appropriate authorities to pursue civil or criminal charges, as necessary. Marine investigation authorities in France and the United Kingdom are also probing the tragedy.
OceanGate Expeditions, the company that owned and operated the Titan, is based in the U.S. but the submersible was registered in the Bahamas. Meanwhile, those killed were from England, Pakistan, France, and the U.S.
A key part of the investigations is likely to be the Titan itself. The vessel was not registered either with the U.S. or with international agencies that regulate safety, and it wasn’t classified by a maritime industry group that sets standards on matters like hull construction.
Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John’s on June 28.
Paul Daly/The Canadian Press
The investigation is also complicated by the fact that the world of deep-sea exploration is not well-regulated. OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who was piloting the Titan when it imploded, had complained that regulations can stifle progress.
U.S. maritime officials have said they’ll issue a report aimed at improving the safety of submersibles worldwide. U.S. Coast Guard chief investigator Capt. Jason Neubauer did not give a timeline for the investigation on Sunday, but said the final report will be issued to the International Maritime Organization.
Questions about the submersible’s safety were raised both by a former company employee and former passengers. Others have asked why the Polar Prince waited several hours after the vessel lost communications to contact rescue officials.
Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John’s on June 28.
Paul Daly/The Canadian Press
The Titan launched at 8 a.m. Eastern on June 18 and was reported overdue that afternoon about 700 kilometres south of St. John’s. It suddenly lost contact with the Polar Prince roughly an hour and 45 minutes after it submerged to descend for a view of the Titanic. It takes more than two hours to get to the wreck.
Killed in the implosion were Rush, two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, British adventurer Hamish Harding and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
— with files from The Associated Press
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