A year after the tragic death of five people on aboard the OceanGate submersible “Titan” during an expedition to the site of the Titanic disaster, billionaire Larry Connor announced his intentions to make his own trip to the infamous site.
According to ABC News, the real estate investor, along with Triton Submarines CEO Patrick Leahy, plan to organize a deep-sea expedition on a specially designed and certified submersible.
The main purpose of this trip, as Connor explained, is to demonstrate the safety of submersibles, which have passed DNV certification. He emphasized that there have never been any accidents with such devices, unlike the uncertified OceanGate vessel, which, in his opinion, would never have received certification.
Connor said that he and Leahy are working on a new, safer and certified submersible called the Explorer, capable of transporting two people to the Titanic's wreck site. The device will have an acrylic body that will provide an almost panoramic view, and will cost from 13 to 15 million dollars.
The billionaire expressed confidence in this project and noted that he would not dive if he was not 100% convinced of safety of the underwater vehicle. He also emphasized that in case of non-compliance with any safety standards, the project will be immediately stopped, because they do not intend to risk people's lives.
As “We-Ukraine” wrote earlier, in June 2023 during during a tourist trip to the wreck of the Titanic off the coast of Newfoundland (Canada), an explosion occurred on board the OceanGate submarine, which killed all five people, including the company's CEO, Stockton Rush. After a long search, the remains of the missing device were discovered on the ocean floor approximately 1,600 feet from the bow of the sunken Titanic.