It has come to light that the waiver that passengers sign before boarding the missing submersible on their way to the Titanic wreck contains numerous references to death. The OceanGate Expeditions-operated Titan submersible went missing on Sunday night in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, 435 miles south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. As of Tuesday at noon, the five people inside the submersible may only have 57 hours’ worth of emergency oxygen left, according to officials. They include Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, who is residing in the UK, and his son Suleman, 19, as well as British billionaire Hamish Harding, 58.
“You sign a massive waiver that lists one way after another that you could die on the trip”
Along with Stockton Rush, the founder, and CEO of OceanGate, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, an OceanGate employee, is also rumored to be on board. For an eight-day vacation that includes a dive into the Titanic wreck, the company charges $250,000 (£195,000). But a waiver outlining the hazards involved must be signed by individuals who pay for the trip. Mike Reiss, a writer based in New York who has contributed to TV series like The Simpsons, boarded the Titan last year.
He told BBC Breakfast on Tuesday about the waiver he had to sign before getting on board the submersible. “You sign a massive waiver that lists one way after another that you could die on the trip,” he said. “They mention death three times on page one and so it’s never far from your mind. You try to put it out.”As I was getting on to the sub my thought was this could be the end.
“So nobody who’s in this situation was caught off guard. You all know what you’re getting into. “It is really exploration. It is not a vacation. It’s not thrill-seeking, it’s not sky diving. These are explorers and travelers who want to see something.” In a report on the Titan submersible by CBS last November, widely shared on social media since it went missing, journalist David Pogue read out part of the waiver. He said it stated: “This experimental vessel has not been approved or certified by any regulatory body, and could result in physical injury, emotional trauma, or death.”
Several news reports about the Titan in the past year show just how cramped it is on the inside
Several news reports about the Titan in the past year show just how cramped it is on the inside. The vessel has no seats and is operated by a “PlayStation” style controller. It also became out that the submersible is bolted shut from the outside, making it impossible for anyone inside to get out on their own. Reiss said he performed two dives off the coast of New York and one to the Titanic shipwreck.
“I’m not optimistic just because I know the logistics of it,” he said. “And I know again, how vast the ocean is, and how very tiny the craft is. “So the idea is, if it’s down at the bottom, I don’t know how anyone’s going to be able to access it, much less bring it back up.” On Tuesday, the search and rescue effort, which is being carried out by military planes 900 miles east of Cape Cod, resumed. The Canadian research vessel Polar Prince and the 106 Rescue Wing will continue to perform surface searches alongside two US C-130 flights, according to the US Coast Guard.