After days of searching for the tourist submarine Titan, the question of who is paying for the rescue of the wealthy adventurers has resurfaced, Politico writes.
When Nevada millionaire Steve Fossett’s plane disappeared in the Nevada Range in 2007, it was not the first rescue operation caused by an adventurer. Large forces had searched for him twice already, in different locations thousands of miles apart. For the first time in 1998, Fosett’s hot air balloon fell into the ocean 500 miles off the coast of Australia. At the time, critics suggested Fosett himself should foot the bill. He rejected the idea. Later that year, the US Coast Guard spent more than 130,000 dollars to rescue Fosett and British millionaire Richard Branson after their hot air balloon crashed into the sea near Hawaii. In 2007, the state of Nevada reported that the last mission cost taxpayers 685,998 dollars, and 200,000 dollars were covered by private investment. The millionaire’s widow refused to cover the costs.
These cases raised the question: after the thorough search operations are over, who will pay for it?
In the second half of June, the search for the tourist submersible Titan, which disappeared in the North Atlantic Ocean while trying to land near the Titanic wreckage, has again drawn attention to the issue. At first, the public’s attention was focused on the search, and many hoped that the missing would be found. After the announcement of the discovery of the Titan wreckage, hope was replaced by mourning.
And the question of the cost of the rescue operation has again become very uncomfortable.
Arun Upneya, dean of the Faculty of Tourism Management at Boston University and researcher, said: “Five people have just lost their lives and to start talking about insurance, all the rescue efforts and the cost can seem pretty heartless — but the thing is, at the end of the day, there are costs.”
It’s a question that draws attention as rich people spend huge sums to reach peaks, sail across oceans, and take off into space.
The US Coast Guard has declined to provide a cost estimate for the Titan search operation. Among the dead are a British billionaire and a father and son from a powerful Pakistani family. Each traveler paid 250 thousand dollars for the trip.
The Coast Guard has stated:
“We cannot attribute a monetary value to Search and Rescue cases, as the Coast Guard does not associate cost with saving a life.”
Federal legislation prohibits claiming compensation for rescue and search operations. However, it does not answer the question of whether wealthy travelers or companies should be held accountable to society and governments for putting themselves at risk.
Pete Sepp, president of the US Taxpayers Association, said that’s a difficult question. Sepp noted: “This should never be solely about government spending, or perhaps not even primarily about government spending, but
you can’t help thinking about how the limited resources of rescuers can be utilized.”
In many parts of the US, laws require the missing person to pay for search and rescue in cases where warnings are willfully ignored on the road. Arizona is considering a similar law for hikers because of the huge cost of rescuing unprepared hikers. Rescuers and volunteer helpers stand against it.
Climbing Everest requires spending thousands of dollars on permits and expedition costs. Every year several people die trying to reach the summit and each time local officials launch a rescue operation. The Nepalese government requires climbers to have rescue insurance, however, the cost of operations can vary widely.
All too often, rich sailors who wanted to set records have to be rescued in open waters.
After British millionaire Tony Bullimore’s yacht capsized 1400 miles from Australia in 1997, Australian rescuers went to help. At the time, Australia’s Defense Minister said that rescuers have a moral obligation to help, and the country has legal obligations.
Read also: Search for Titan ends with tragic news; experts make assumptions