The five passengers who boarded the doomed OceanGate Titan submersible that imploded on its way to the wreck of the Titanic signed an iron-clad agreement that protects the company from any liability for what could happen to the vessel, including death.
The three-page document spells out the risks that passengers take when riding in the 23,000-pound Titan, including eye-popping wording such as how the craft “has not been approved or certified by any regulatory body and may be constructed of materials that have not been widely used on human occupied submersible.”
The vessel suffered a “catastrophic implosion” during its descent, instantly killing all five passengers aboard, according to the US Coast Guard, which is heading the recovery operation to bring debris from the Titan to the surface and figure out what went wrong.
The document, which was provided to a passenger last summer, also states that the signer would “assume full responsibility for the risk of bodily injury, disability, death and property damage due to the negligence of [OceanGate] while involved in the operation,” according to TMZ, which was first to publish it.
The company also provided a litany of worst-case scenarios in covering itself from liability, including possible exposure to high-pressure gases, high-voltage electrical systems and “other dangers” that could lead to disability, injury or death.
Some of the Titan’s debris was found about 1,600 feet from the bow of the RMS Titanic. It’s still unknown what exactly caused the implosion, and recovery from 12,500 feet below the surface is a difficult and costly procedure.
OceanGate founder and pilot Stockton Rush and four passengers — British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, French Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani billionaire businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Sulaiman — all died aboard the sub.
The liability claim further states that family members of passengers who die riding the submersible should have no recourse to sue the company:
“As lawful consideration for being permitted to participate in the operation, and on behalf of myself, my heirs, assigns, personal representative, estate, and for all members of my family, including minor children, I hereby release, waive, and forever discharge OceanGate Expeditions, Ltd. …”
A now-viral TikTok suggests what the “catastrophic implosion” might have looked like in a terrifying computer-generated re-enactment that shows the submersible curling into itself, which would have happened in a split-second, according to experts.
