Millionaires and explorers: who were the crew members of the OceanGate Titan?

First modification: 06/23/2023 – 18:38

The owner of the company that failed in the mission, a Pakistani businessman, and his son, a French explorer and a British aviation magnate, were the five crew members of the submersible that went down on its way to visit the wreck of the Titanic, at almost 4,000 meters. deep in the ocean.

Based in Everett, Washington, OceanGate Expeditions claims on its website that it uses state-of-the-art manned submersibles and launch pads to increase access to the ocean depths.

“OceanGate has successfully completed more than 14 expeditions and more than 200 dives in the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico (…) After each mission, the team evaluates and updates procedures as part of an ongoing commitment to evolve and ensure operational safety,” he adds.

All five people aboard the Titan submersible died after an implosion, US Coast Guard officials confirmed Thursday.

Stockton Rush: founder and CEO of the vessel’s operating company, OceanGate, based in the United States. “It’s an incredibly beautiful wreck,” Rush told Britain’s Sky News of the Titanic earlier this year.

Hamish Harding: The British billionaire and chairman of Dubai-based aviation company Action Aviation had posted on social media that he was proud to head to the Titanic as a “mission specialist”, adding: “Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only crewed mission to the Titanic in 2023.”

Harding was also aboard the 2019 “One More Orbit” flight mission, which set a record for the fastest circumnavigation of the earth by aircraft over both geographic poles.

Shahzada Dawood and her son Suleman. Shahzada was the vice president of one of Pakistan’s largest conglomerates, Engro Corporation, with investments in fertilizer, vehicle manufacturing, energy and digital technologies.

Shahzada’s interests included wildlife photography, gardening and exploring natural habitats, while Suleman was a fan of science fiction literature, according to a Dawood Group statement.

Paul-Henri Nargeolet: The 77-year-old French explorer was director of underwater research at RMS Titanic, the firm that owned the rights to the Titanic wreck. Former Commander of the French Navy.

After retiring from the Navy, he led the first Titanic recovery expedition in 1987 and was considered a leading authority on the wreck. In a 2020 interview with France Bleu radio, he spoke of the dangers of deep diving, saying: “I’m not afraid of dying, I think it will happen one day.”

With EFE and Reuters