Owner of Titanic salvage rights holding virtual memorial service for OceanGate passenger

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Law professor Richard Daynard says OceanGate victims’ families have no case to sue

Richard Daynard, a professor at Northeastern University School of Law, said the families of the submersible victims do not have a strong case to bring against OceanGate.

The company that owns the salvage rights to the Titanic is holding a virtual memorial service Wednesday for one of the five passengers who died onboard the OceanGate Titan submersible. 

RMS Titanic Inc. said in a series of tweets that the event honoring French mariner Paul-Henri Nargeolet, which is being streamed at 2:30 p.m. ET, will "provide an outlet for the world-wide Titanic and Oceanographic communities to remember our colleague and friend, and express our grief together." 

"Five men, Husbands, Fathers, Sons- one just 19 years old perished together and we, again, extend our condolences to the families and friends of those lost," the company said. "We are all deeply mourning." 

Nargeolet was the director of underwater research for the Atlanta-based company, according to The Associated Press. 

OCEANGATE SUSPENDS ALL EXPLORATION, COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS AFTER TITAN SUB IMPLOSION 

In this undated photo, Paul-Henry (PH) Nargeolet poses for a photo alongside OceanGate's Titan submersible in 2022.  (@OceanGateExped/Twitter)

The event comes about two weeks after OceanGate Expeditions indefinitely suspended all of its exploration and commercial operations following the catastrophic failure of its Titan submersible in late June. 

OceanGate made the announcement via a banner on its website. The company had previously offered expensive tickets to visit the ocean floor and the wreck of the Titanic. 

"OceanGate has suspended all exploration and commercial operations," the announcement read in red text. 

The Titan submersible suffered a catastrophic implosion 1 hour and 45 minutes into its descent toward the wreck of the Titanic. The submersible passengers included U.K billionaire Hamish Harding, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, father-son pair Shahzada Dawood and Suleman Dawood, and Nargeolet. 

OceanGate had charged tourists $250,000 for a ticket on the submersible to visit the legendary Titanic wreckage. Legal experts say the families of those aboard do not have a legal avenue to sue the company. 

CANADA OPENS INVESTIGATION INTO DEADLY OCEANGATE VOYAGE TO TITANIC RUINS 

Inset, from left: Suleman Dawood, Shahzada Dawood, Stockton Rush; Paul-Henry Nargeolet and Hamish Harding were aboard the OceanGate Titan submersible. (Engro Corp. | Reuters/Shannon Stapleton | @OceanGateExped/Twitter | Felix Kunze/Blue Origin via AP | Ocean Gate/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

In addition to the debris, recovery teams found "presumed human remains" among the wreckage. 

The search for the sub went on for days, and there was speculation that those aboard could still be alive, breathing from the 96 hours' worth of oxygen aboard the craft. Debris from the craft was found on June 22, and all those aboard were confirmed killed. 

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OceanGate, the company that owned the submersible involved in a fatal implosion while en route to explore the Titanic wreck, announced the suspension of its operations on July 6, 2023. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP, File)

A Canadian government agency, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, also announced in late June that it is opening an investigation into the OceanGate Titan submersible and the cargo vessel which provided support from the surface. 

"In accordance with the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act and international agreements, the TSB, as the investigation authority of the flag state of the support vessel involved in the occurrence, will conduct a safety investigation regarding the circumstances of this operation conducted by the Canadian-flagged vessel Polar Prince," it said at the time. "A team of TSB investigators is traveling to St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, to gather information, conduct interviews, and assess the occurrence. In the coming days, we will coordinate our activities with other agencies involved." 

Fox News’ Adam Sabes contributed to this report.