Global Courant
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ST. JOHN’S, NL — A maritime law professor at Tulane University in Louisiana says the owner of a small submarine that imploded Sunday en route to the Titanic’s wreckage will likely seek legal protection — and soon.
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Martin Davies says he expects OceanGate Expeditions to seek to limit its financial liability if families of the five crew members who died aboard the Titan decide to sue.
Davies said in an interview that the company would first have to decide which country would have the most favorable liability laws.
Such laws allow a shipowner to limit the amount he has to pay, but only if the owner can prove that he was far enough away from any wrongdoing.
Twain Braden, a maritime attorney in Maine, says he suspects OceanGate could have a hard time proving it had no knowledge of the conditions that allowed the Titan to implode nearly four kilometers below the sea.
He says a letter signed by submariners in 2018 expressing concern about the ship’s lack of certification could become a problem for the company.
“In this case, they are aware — very specifically — of potential problems with the submarine,” Braden said.
He said the situation is sad and complex, adding that while “maritime law nerds” like him watch with great interest, they are also heartbroken for the families of those who lost their lives.
OceanGate Expeditions representatives say they have no comment on a statement issued Thursday announcing that the Titan’s passengers are presumed dead. Among them was the company’s CEO, Stockton Rush.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 23, 2023.
