Titanic sub passengers were called mission specialists to 'avoid legal repercussions'
Topics: US News, World News, Titanic
Katherine Sidnell
Featured Image Credit: Dawood Family Handout / Becky Kagan Schott / OceanGate
Topics: US News, World News, Titanic
A consultant has claimed that passengers on the Titanic sub were called mission specialists to 'avoid legal repercussions'.
However, the technical term has now become an issue after the tragic passing of the five people onboard the doomed Titan submersible.
As more information comes to light over the tragic incident, former consultant Rob McCallum has given an eye-opening interview about OceanGate.
On June 18, the Titan sub made its descent towards the wreckage of the Titanic on what should have been a routine tourist trip.
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At the time, the sub was carrying five people onboard - French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British billionaire Hamish Harding, OceanGate's CEO Stockton Rush, and Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman.
Tragically, the OceanGate vessel lost contact with its mother ship, the Polar Prince, at around 9:47 am as it made the trip to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
The sub never resurfaced, with experts later confirming that the vessel suffered a 'catastrophic implosion', losing all lives onboard.
And now, a former consultant for OceanGate has alleged that the passengers were referred to ‘mission specialists’ in case of such a scenario.
Rob McCallum claimed that the technical term would help the exploration firm avoid severe legal repercussions should a death happen onboard.
In an interview with the New Yorker, he said: “There were no passengers — the word 'passenger' was never used.”
The expert went on to explain that it is currently illegal to transport passengers in ‘unclassed, experimental submersible’, such as the Titan, alleging that this slight change in wording meant that companies face a lesser charge of legal jeopardy in the event of a death - under US regulations.
"You do get in a little bit of trouble, in the eyes of the law," he told the publication: "But, if you kill a passenger, you're in big trouble."
McCallum also alleged that no one bought a ticket to visit the Titanic wreckage, but funded their own ‘expeditions’ instead.
It’s thought that tourists on the ill-fated Titan paid $250,000 each for the trip to see the shipwreck, with OceanGate’s website calling for ‘mission specialists’ in piece about the proposed trip.
Having founded Eyos Expeditions, McCallum had previously raised concerns about OceanGate sub in 2018 with an email to the then-CEO Stockton Rush.
According to the expert, he feared that passengers were potentially being put in danger as the sub had not been classed or certified independently.
OceanGate are yet to respond UNILAD’s request for comment.