The CEO of the firm behind the Titanic expedition that has sparked a frantic search for a missing submersible in the Atlantic previously insisted the mission was "safe".
OceanGate Expeditions' CEO Stockton Rush is one of the five people trapped onboard the Titan submersible which is lost somewhere in the ocean after losing contact with teams above water during a venture to the wreck of the Titanic.
Despite expressing some concerns, Mr Rush remained steadfast in his belief that the expedition was safe in a candid interview conducted late last year
The crew, including Mr Rush, legendary French mariner, diver and explorer Paul-Henry Nargeolett, and Brit billionaire and explorer Hamish Harding, embarked on their $250,000-per-person Titanic tour at approximately 4am yesterday, accompanied by a British-based father and son, Shahzada Dawood, 48, and Sulaiman Dawood, 19.
However, communication with the mothership was lost a mere hour and 45 minutes after the launch, raising alarm bells.
In the interview in 2022, Mr Rush addressed the potential risks involved in the expedition while emphasising his confidence in the safety measures implemented.
He acknowledged the necessity of taking risks and stated: "At some point, you're going to take some risk, and it really is a risk/reward question. I think I can do this just as safely by breaking the rules."
When asked about his primary concerns, Mr Rush expressed unease about obstacles preventing a return to the surface, such as overhangs, fish nets, and entanglement hazards.
He highlighted the importance of piloting techniques to avoid such obstacles, asserting that with careful navigation, these risks could be mitigated.
Mr Rush discussed the simplicity of the design and technology employed for the underwater operation.
He said: "We run the whole thing with this game controller,' he said. 'It should be like an elevator, it shouldn't take a lot of skill.."
Despite his worries, including the immense water pressure, Mr Rush remained confident in the safety of the expedition.
He cited a lack of major injuries or fatalities.
Mr Dawood is a business advisor who also serves on the board for Prince's Trust International. The Dawood family are amongst the richest in Pakistan but have strong links to the UK and Shahzada is believed to live in a Surrey mansion with his wife Christine, son Sulaiman and daughter Alina.
Passengers of the Titanic submersible are required to sign a waiver acknowledging the potential risks of death associated with deep-sea diving, it has emerged.
A previous passenger who's been on board the OceanGate submersible before, CBS journalist David Pogue said that among the paperwork shown to potential passengers was a waiver, which said: "This experimental vessel has not been approved or certified by any regulatory body, and could result in physical injury, emotional trauma, or death."
Unlike submarines that leave and return to port under their own power, submersibles require a ship to launch and recover them.
Rear Admiral John W Mauger of the US Coast Guard said they are doing “everything” they can to find the submersible, saying it has one pilot and four mission specialists aboard with up to 96 hours of emergency oxygen on board.
“We anticipate that there’s somewhere between 70 to the full 96 hours at this point,” he said on Monday. “It is a remote area and a challenge, but we are deploying all available assets.”
He said additional resources would arrive in the coming days.
