Manned Titanic explorations may need to end in wake of sub disaster, international society says

A group of Titanic experts are warning against continued manned dives to the wreckage of the ship following the recent Oceangate submarine disaster.

The Titanic International Society released a statement Thursday questioning whether it is necessary to restrict manned expeditions to the wreckage of the infamous shipwreck.

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This file image provided by OceanGate shows the Titan submersible descending into the ocean. (OceanGate Expeditions)

“It is time to consider seriously whether human trips to Titanic’s wreck should end in the name of safety, with relatively little remaining to be learned from or about the wreck. Crewed submersibles’ roles in surveying the wreck now can be assigned to autonomous underwater vehicles, like those that mapped the ship and its debris field in high-resolution, 3-D detail last summer,” wrote Titanic International Society President Charles Haas on behalf of the organization.

After a weeklong search, the OceanGate’s Titan was found to have imploded, killing its five passengers.

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The shipwreck of the RMS Titanic in 1996. (Xavier DESMIER/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, US Coast Guard, and the Canadian military contributed to the massive, international search for the OceanGate vessel.

“The officers and worldwide members of the Titanic International Society are profoundly shaken and heartbroken to learn of the loss of the submersible Titan, its passengers and pilot in the North Atlantic. Titanic has claimed five additional victims 111 years after her loss,” the Titanic International Society statement read.

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An undated photo shows the Titan tourist submersible belonging to OceanGate. (Ocean Gate / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“Titanic also taught the world about the dangers of hubris and overreliance on technology. This expedition’s tragic ending has shown that these lessons remain to be learned,” the society president continued.

The expedition victims who died this week have been identified: OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush; British businessman turned adventurer Hamish Harding; Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a former French navy officer and leading Titanic expert; Pakistani billionaire Shazada Dawood and his son, Suleman Dawood.

FOX Business’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.