The Facts
On Thursday, OceanGate Expeditions — a Washington-based ocean exploration firm conducting the Titan submersible tours of the Titanic ship wreckage since 2021 — said all five passengers aboard the submarine that went missing on Sunday have died.
According to a statement released by OceanGate, the company's founder and CEO Stockton Rush, Pakistani billionaire Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, British businessman Hamish Harding, and French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet have "sadly been lost."
The Spin
Narrative A
We may never know whether deficiencies in design and construction or unwillingness to stick to established safety standards is what put the Titan in such a horrifying predicament. However, the tragic fate of the five passengers should be enough to inspire a new era of regulation for adventure tourism, including having a classification agency, such as the American Bureau of Shipping, inspect and certify such vessels and tours.
Narrative B
While authorities must investigate allegations that OceanGate ignored safety flaws in its submersibles and conducted morbid tours at a hefty price tag, the tragic news is a gut-wrenching blow for the families of the unfortunate Titan crew that shared a passion for exploring and protecting the world's oceans. It's essential to respect the victims' families' privacy and appreciate the unprecedented rescue operation at this painful time.
Cynical narrative
The submersible's implosion and the death of its occupants is undoubtedly tragic. At the same time, it's telling that the world rallied to find a missing sub while giving minimal coverage to the shipwrecked migrants that went missing off the coast of Greece last week. As the global media and the international marine agencies try to investigate Titan's loss, they must also give more sympathy and attention to the hundreds of migrants that remain missing.
