6 days ago
Canada's Fisheries Department expressed interest in working with Titan sub company
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'Instead of being stored in a protected environment, the Titan and its … boxes were placed in the facility's parking lot, uncovered and exposed to the elements,' the report says,
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'Based on weather data … the Titan's hull would have been subjected to multiple freeze and thaw cycles during its time stored outside …. OceanGate's continued neglect of the submersible's physical care is alarming.'
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On another front, the coast guard report describes how in late 2022, Rush was trying to get Memorial University of Newfoundland to sign an agreement that would exempt OceanGate from paying sales taxes.
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'To qualify for the exemption, the (OceanGate) expedition was required to be conducted or sponsored by a recognized scientific or cultural organization,' the report says, adding that an agreement was signed in December 2022 with the university's Fisheries and Marine Institute.
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In September 2023, The Canadian Press obtained documents showing the agreement allowed OceanGate to store its equipment at the institute in St. John's.
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The documents, obtained through access to information laws, revealed that OceanGate had promised students and faculty would be given the opportunity 'to join OceanGate expeditions to support research endeavours.'
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The memorandum of understanding also said the institute would show off OceanGate's submersible to promote ocean literacy and the 'blue economy.'
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Rob Shea, then the Marine Institute's vice-president, sent an email to Rush in July 2022, saying the institution's 'proverbial doors … are open!' to OceanGate.
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In September 2023, a Memorial University spokesperson said there were no formal plans for students or staff to board the Titan. 'With no plans for students or staff to be aboard the Titan, there was no rationale to vet OceanGate,' Chad Pelley said in a statement.
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In addition to Rush, the implosion killed French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British adventurer Hamish Harding and two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood.
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The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has conducted its own investigation into Titan's demise. In June, the independent board confirmed its investigation report had been drafted and was being reviewed.
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