OceanGate has listed one of their remaining submersibles for sale, for a cool $795,000. Word is Yacht broker (that’s a real job?!) Steven Reoch has been trying to sell the Antipodes sub for the last five years, and has recently had more motivation to do so.
An incident that resulted in the death of five people has kept the company under a lot of scrutiny. While the Antipodes seats five, like the Titan, it is the only similarity the two share. Originally built for Perry Submersibles, this sub has had many owners before OceanGate. It is only capable of diving to a depth of 1,000 feet, while the Titan had been cleared to 4,000m. The Antipodes is certified as meeting industry standards by the American Bureau of Shipping, earning the submersible vessel classification.
The sub was listed for sale after OceanGate built their Titan prototype, Cyclops 1. Former OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who died in the implosion, was known to be critical of safety regulations. Experts and former employees raised several concerns for the safety of the company-made vessels. Many of these concerns were due to the materials used in their construction, and their lack of certification.
Following the implosion of Titan, OceanGate has suspended all operations. Reoch believes he will never be able to sell Antipodes due to the controversy. Reoch has said he wants nothing to do with the company after the tragedy.
I do see Reoch’s concerns about never being able to sell the submersible. The Titan tragedy is going to always be a dark spot on OceanGate. Something that no one is going to let the company forget about anytime soon. Whereas this submersible was constructed by industry experts and did not skip out on safety, it is still owned by OceanGate.
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