It is time to consider whether the Titanic wreck missions should be stopped, after the death of the five occupants of the submarine Titan, said today the president of the Titanic International Society, an NGO founded in 1989 with the aim of preserving the historical memory surrounding the world’s most famous shipwreck.

The submersible Titan disintegrated due to catastrophic decompression about 500 meters away from the wreck of the Titanic, as a result of which the five on board met a horrible death: the 61-year-old American founder of OceanGate Expeditions Stockton Rush, the 77-year-old French oceanographer Paul-Henri Narzolet, the 59-year-old British billionaire Hamish Harding, 48-year-old Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman.

In a statement issued by TIS president Charles Haas, he expresses his concern about whether visits to the wreck of the Titanic, at a depth of approximately 3,800 meters in the North Atlantic, should continue.

“It is time to seriously consider whether manned missions to the Titanic wreck should be stopped for safety reasons, since little more could be learned about it“, he says.

He explained that instead of manned submarines they will be able to dive from now on only remote controlled robotic boatslike those used to 3D map the wreck area last summer.

He did not fail to express his deepest sorrow for the tragic accident, emphasizing that “could have been avoided».

Charles Haas has paid tribute to legendary oceanographer Paul-Henri Narzolet, highlighting his “unparalleled” knowledge of the Titanic wreck. With about 25 years of experience, “he had dived into the wreck of the Titanic more times than anyone else on the planet“, write down.

The submersible Titan had made two more missions to the Titanic wreck, in 2021 and 2022. The third mission was to be fatal.

Haas emphasizes that the Titan mission should be thoroughly investigated.

“We believe that an extensive, thorough investigation by the US Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and/or by their Canadian counterparts is warranted“, he says.

He believes that the safety and communication systems of the submersible, its technical characteristics, as well as the planning for dealing with emergencies should be investigated, among other things.

In addition, it emphasizes that such deep-sea vessels used for manned missions should be required to be inspected at regular intervals.

“Just as the Titanic taught the world safety lessons, so should the Titan disaster“, explained.

In 2019, the first 4K resolution images of the Titanic were filmed.

Until then, the wreck had not received visitors in the previous 14 years.