EVERETT, WA – A Clarenville-based business is teaming up with an American company to capture the first 4K resolution images of the Titanic shipwreck and debris field on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean off Newfoundland.
SubC Imaging, a global leader in intelligent underwater imaging equipment, has formed a strategic alliance with OceanGate Inc., a provider of manned submersible services out of Everett, Wa., according to a joint news release issued by both companies on Jan. 17.
SubC Imaging cameras and lights will be installed on OceanGate's Cyclops2, the first manned submersible to survey the Titanic since 2005.
The six-week Titanic Survey Expedition will leave from St. John’s in June with scientists, content experts, and mission specialists joining the crew in a series of week-long missions.
The advanced SubC Imaging cameras and lights will be used throughout the expedition as the primary equipment for capturing images and video of the wreck.
The 4K images and videos will be used together with laser and sonar scans to create a virtual 3D model of the wreck.
The model will serve as an objective baseline to assess the decay of the wreck over time and help to document and preserve its submerged history. Following the expedition, images and videos of the wreck will be made freely available for research and education.
“Our mission at SubC is to continuously innovate the most technologically advanced and capable video equipment for the offshore and subsea markets,” said Ron Collier, SubC Imaging’s vice president of business development.
“The opportunity to work with OceanGate on this expedition fits perfectly with our goal of revolutionizing the way subsea imaging is conducted.”
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush said he is excited about the partnership with SubC Imaging.
“SubC Imaging has pioneered the way subsea images are collected and we couldn’t be happier about this alliance as we embark on our survey expedition. With the first ever 4K images of Titanic we can share this wreck the world with a clarity that has never been seen before,” he said.
Documenting the debris field and creating a nearly lifelike digital model without disrupting the habitat or any artifacts is of top priority to the OceanGate crew, the release stated.
"We recognize that the entire site is a memorial and we undertake our expedition with great respect for those who died in the sinking,” Rush said.
