Titanic International Society head says it might be time to stop people visiting the wreck altogether
- The deadly implosion of the Titan submersible highlighted the risks of visiting the Titanic.
- The head of a Titanic research group said it may be time to end human visits altogether.
The head of a group dedicated to researching the Titanic said the implosion of a submersible carrying five people is a prompt to "consider seriously" stopping human visits to the wreck altogether.
Charles Haas, the president of the Titanic International Society, said in a statement that "It is time to consider seriously whether human trips to Titanic's wreck should end in the name of safety."
He said there was "relatively little remaining to be learned from or about the wreck" from repeat human visits.
Per the society's website, Haas has himself visited the wreck twice, in 1993 and 1996.
Autonomous underwater vehicles can do the work once undertaken by manned missions, he said.
Haas called the implosion of the Titan submersible, operated by the firm OceanGate, a "tragic, avoidable event."
He called for a detailed investigation into the safety and design of the submersible, which was not certified and which had been flagged repeatedly for questionable safety.
"Just as Titanic taught the world safety lessons, so, too, should Titan's loss."
"Titanic also taught the world about the dangers of hubris and overreliance on technology. This expedition's tragic ending has shown that these lessons remain to be learned."
The Titanic, a cutting-edge steam liner, sank in 1912, killing more than 1,500 people.
Haas said the implosion meant the Titanic had "claimed five additional victims 111 years after her loss," deeply saddening his society.
"We extend our heartfelt sympathy and love to the families of those lost while pursuing their Titanic passions, and pray that their memories will remain as strong and vibrant as their lives. And we hope, too, that their loss galvanizes the world, once again, to ensure the safety of those in peril on the sea.'"
The society does offer trips to the wreckage.
With his comments, Haas joins other Titanic experts who predicted changes to wreck site visits.
The CEO of UK-based Titanic exhibition company White Star Memories Ltd told CNN "The chances of any future research being carried out on the wreck of Titanic is extremely slim. Probably not in my lifetime."
Michael Poirier, a trustee for the Titanic International Society nonprofit, told Insider there would likely be a "pause" in trips, saying: "Now you're going to have to look at the submersibles ... and making sure they're up to date and making, they're up to code."
Both the US Coast Guard and OceanGate said on Thursday that the Titan's passengers were believed to be dead after the Coast Guard said debris found in the search was consistent with a "catastrophic implosion." The search started on Sunday, after the Titan lost contact with its mothership not long into its dive.
The five people on board were 61-year-old OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush, 69-year-old British billionaire and explorer Hamish Harding, 77-year-old former French navy captain Paul Henry Nargeolet, 48-year-old British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood.
Haas paid particular tribute to Nargeolet, a diver known as "Mr. Titanic" who had visited the shipwreck site at least 35 times. The society traveled with him to the wreck in the 1990s, The Washington Post reported.
Haas said Nargeolet "brought to this expedition more than a quarter-century of expertise, making more dives to Titanic's wreck than anyone on earth."
He called Nargeolet's knowledge of the wreck "unique and unparalleled" and praised his willingness to share the information with the world, which Haas said "helped to rewrite significant parts of the ship's history. "
"Sadly, that irreplaceable knowledge has been lost. His passion for exploration was just one of his life's many amazing adventures."