The world was treated to around-the-clock updates about the mission to rescue five passengers who went missing underwater in the Titan submersible after being deployed to visit the wreck of the RMS Titanic.
The submersible was operated by a private company called OceanGate, who charged $250,000 per passenger to explore the ruins of the ship that sank in 1912. On this particular expedition, there were five men, two who were billionaires, keen to get a glimpse at the shipwreck 13,000 feet below the surface of the water.
When the Titan went missing on June 18, several necessary attempts were made to recover people believed still alive.
Robot vehicles were deployed. The U.S. Coast Guard and Canadian authorities sent vessels to look for the Titan. Sonar buoys were dropped into the water to locate the submersible. Aircraft and surface vessels scoured the ocean surface for signs of life. The total amount of money spent is yet to be revealed, but bets can be made that the price tag will be high. Still, Titan's lives were worth it. Every life is worth the search.
On Thursday, debris from the Titan was found in the search—its landing frame and rear cover. Tragically, for families and loved ones of those on board the Titan, all five aboard have been confirmed dead.
A very sad ending for five precious lives.
Rewind to just days before the Titan went missing. On June 13, another group of people went missing in open water after capsizing off the coast of Greece.
Seven-hundred-and-fifty men, women, and children set sail on a boat from Libya to Italy. The ship's passenger list—if there had been one—would have been made up of people from countries like Syria, Egypt, and Pakistan.
Unlike the five men who chose to travel to see the Titan, nearly all of these refugees would have been fleeing for their lives. They risked a dangerous journey because it felt less risky than staying put in the middle of war or famine.
Alarm Phone, an emergency hotline for migrants in trouble at sea, said they received a call at 12:17 p.m. GMT Tuesday saying that the boat was in distress and "cannot survive the night." At 2:53 p.m. GMT, Alarm Phone alerted the Hellenic Coast Guard of the boat in distress. The coastguard helicopter found the ship at 4:30 p.m. GMT, but authorities claimed that the boat was on a steady course at the time, even though an aerial photo released showed the boat to be packed with hands outstretched. Greek officials say they had offered assistance, but their offers had been refused as those on the boat thought even the slightest shift could unbalance the boat. Between 7:40 p.m. and 20:40 pm GMT, Greek officials said the boat was keeping a "steady course and speed." Although it has been confirmed that two smaller vessels delivered supplies for those on the ship, Greek officials maintained the ship was not in trouble and was safely on its way to Italy. No need to attempt rescue.
At 11:00 GMT Tuesday night, the boat full of desperate refugees sank.
Survivors have said that up to 100 children were on board.
The sinking of the Titan and the boat full of refugees provide a stark contrast in rescue efforts.
For the boat full of refugees, there was very little help. The situation hardly received the same media attention as that of the Titan, and definitely did not receive the same international rescue response.
But the doomed ship is far from being the only one crossing the Mediterranean Sea in need of help.
Days later, on June 19, 29 people in distress contacted Alarm Phone. Authorities ignored their calls for help.
Meanwhile, in Italy and Greece, search and rescue to save people at sea is criminalized. A German sea captain is currently facing a 20-year prison sentence in Italy for helping to rescue migrants at risk of drowning in the Mediterranean.
Nearly every week, there is a boat of refugees in need of rescue in the Mediterranean. In 2022, it was estimated that 2,062 migrants died while crossing the Sea.
The numbers are only going to get bigger—not just in European waters, but around the world.
New figures were just released from the UNHCR showing that at the end of 2022, there were 108.4 million people worldwide forcibly displaced (both internally and internationally) as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations, or events seriously disturbing public order. It's another record as the number has continued rising since records began to be kept.
There will be more refugees, more people crossing land and water to get safe. Will every effort be made to rescue them or is the drowning of this boat just another example of what will remain the status quo? Will the international community not do everything at its disposal to rescue lives, even if they are not the lives of wealthy men? Will right-wing media continue to dehumanize refugee victims, making them out to be nuisances rather than human beings desperate for life?
Refugees don't want to see the Titanic. They just want to keep living.
Refugees don't have hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend on excursions. They only have the clothes on their backs.
Their lives are worth just as much as anyone—anyone—else's, but you would never know it from the effort and expense expended in each case. Refugees are being ignored, deported, vilified, and left to fend for themselves time and time again.
This rescue operation is a clear case in point that although many would try to deny it, some lives are valued more highly than others.
Lauren Crosby Medlicott is a freelance journalist in the UK. She writes about issues impacting refugees and asylum seekers.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own
Uncommon Knowledge
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