The family of French explorer Paul-Henri Narjolet filed a $50 million wrongful-death lawsuit on Tuesday against OceanGate, the operator of a cruise ship that failed catastrophically. Try to visit Wrecks of the Titanic.
Narjolet was one of five passengers on the Titan companion on June 18, 2023. Catastrophic pressure loss and exploded, killing all on board. OceanGate sold seats on the ship for $250,000 each, billing the trip as an opportunity to “become one of the few to see the Titanic with your own eyes.”
But following the incident, what industry experts have said has come to light raised serious security concerns About the project several years ago. For example, a professional trade group warned in 2018 that OceanGate’s experimental approach to Titan’s design could lead to “catastrophic” consequences.
Nicknamed “Mr. Titanic,” Narjolet participated in 37 dives Titanic Base, According to the lawsuit, the most of any diver in the world. He was considered one of the most knowledgeable people in the world about the famous wreck. Attorneys for his estate said in an emailed statement that the “wrecked submarine” has a “complicated history” and that OceanGate failed to disclose key facts about the vessel and its survival.
“This lawsuit alleges serious problems with the Titan submarine,” said Tony Busbee, one of the attorneys bringing the suit. Report. “Although the University of Washington and Boeing were instrumental in the design of earlier but similar versions of the Titan, I think both have denied any involvement in the recently detonated submersible prototype.”
The lawsuit alleges that OceanGate failed to disclose the Titan’s defects and intentionally hid its defects from Narjolet, even though he was appointed by the company as a member of the ship’s crew. The lawsuit says Narjolet would not have participated in the trip had he known about Titan’s problems.
A spokeswoman for OceanGate declined to comment on the lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday in King County, Washington.
After the sub explosion, the US Coast Guard quickly assembled a high-level investigation, which is ongoing. A Major Public Inquiry Part of the trial is due to take place in September.
— with a report from the Associated Press.
