Billionaire To Take Submersible To Titanic Site As Proof Industry Is Safer After OceanGate Implosion

• It is less than a year since the OceanGate Titan submersible imploded and killed all five passengers on board
• That, however, has not stopped real estate mogul Larry Connor from trying yet another daring underwater journey
• The billionaire intends to visit the Titanic crash site through his new submersible christened the Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer

In a bold move to restore faith in deep-sea exploration, Ohio billionaire Larry Connor has announced plans to journey to the depths of the Titanic’s resting place.

Connor is partnering with Triton Submarines co-founder Patrick Lahey to make the dream a reality.

What did we learn from the Titan tragedy?

The New York Post reports that the real estate mogul aims to demonstrate submersible safety and technology advancements.

Connor is aware of last year's OceanGate implosion but underscores the safety and advancement of deep-sea exploration.

He reiterates that the loss of the Titan was the catalyst for change the industry needed to improve.

His response to this disaster is commissioning the Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer.

How's Triton 4000/2 different from OceanGate Titan?

The $20 million (KSh 2.6 billion) state-of-the-art submersible can go on repeated voyages to extreme depths.

“I want to show people worldwide that while the ocean is extremely powerful, it can be wonderful and enjoyable and really kind of life-changing if you go about it the right way,,” Connor explained.

The design of the Triton 4000/2 represents over a decade of innovation and progress in materials and technology.

According to Connor, the technological advancements would not have been possible five years ago.

When is the voyage date?

The vessel’s robust construction aims to ensure that the journey to the Titanic can be completed safely and without incident.

While the voyage date remains undisclosed, the initiative has sparked discussions within the deep-sea adventure community.

Lahey, a critic of OceanGate’s safety protocols, has been vocal about the need for rigorous standards and certification by reputable organizations.

“What we need to do is build a sub that can dive to Titanic-level depths repeatedly and safely and demonstrate to the world that you guys can do that and that Titan was a contraption,’” Lahey argued.

The OceanGate implosion

Connor’s mission, which will descend more than 12,400 feet below the ocean’s surface, follows the tragic loss of the OceanGate vessel in June 2023.

Titan submersible’s tragic implosion claimed the lives of all five passengers, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.

The other four were Hamish Harding, Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood with his son Sulaiman.

The incident cast a shadow over the industry, raising concerns about the safety of underwater exploration.

Proofreading by Asher Omondi, current affairs journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.