Many of us have been struck by the extraordinary difference in people’s attitudes and media coverage of two separate tragic events at sea in the past 10 days. The loss of up to 700 people in an overcrowded, unseaworthy vessel in international waters off the cost of Pylos, Greece, on June 14, and the loss of 5 people in a cramped, unseaworthy vessel in international waters off the coast of Newfoundland, on June 17. The bare minimum for one. Screen to scrolling screen coverage of the other. Why is this? Something for another column perhaps. In the meantime, I give you my imaginings of an ‘exclusive’ interview film director, James Cameron, gave to the BBC’s Today Programme on Friday, June 23, 2023. (hit-time just after 2:19).  

To note, James Cameron is, in his own right, an outspoken environmentalist who has featured the challenges people forced to flee do face, because of conflict and climate change, in his films.  

[Imaginings are in brackets and bold]  

BBC Today Programme Presenter, Martha Kearney: The time now is 19 minutes past eight. Could the destruction of the Titan submersible [criminally overcrowded ship with as yet unknown name] and the deaths of the five people [several hundred people] on board been prevented? Many questions have been raised about the safety of the mission, whether there was sufficient testing [why those onboard had to resort to such desperate means in the first place] and why the vessel hadn't been certified. The director of Titanic James Cameron is also an accomplished underwater explorer, [an avid environmentalist] who has been involved himself in building submersibles [who through his films, advocates for people forced to move because of conflict and climate change]. He's been talking exclusively to the BBC. 

 00:59 

Film director, James Cameron: I was out on a ship myself on Sunday [Wednesday]. I didn't hear about it until I woke up Monday [Thursday] morning. I immediately got on the phone to some of my other contacts in the deep submersible [migration] community. Within about an hour I had the following facts. They were on descent [in dire straits]. They were at 3500 meters, [not moving], comms were lost and navigation was lost. And I said instantly, you can't lose comms and navigation together without an extreme catastrophic event. And the first thing that popped to mind was an implosion [the knowledge that this was, yet again, another avoidable catastrophic loss of life at sea]. And so for me, there was no doubt. I knew that sub was sitting exactly underneath its last known depth and position, [this vessel was unseaworthy, and I had a sense that not enough was done in those critical hours to save lives]. That's exactly where they found it, [what has transpired], and that there was no search! When they finally got an ROV down there that could make the depth, they found it within hours, probably within minutes [survivors’ accounts started to be heard, when humanitarians’ voices were raised, a lot of troubling questions were raised.] I mean, where you search is the last known position. That's where you start a search. You don't search the size of Connecticut, and then go to the last known position. [the Greek Coast Guard was there, watching, from a distance, waiting, for what? why?] 

{BBC Science Editor, Rebecca Morelle}: Do you think the families would have … 

James Cameron: You know the only reason I didn't say a damn thing? I've been I've been chased around by media outlets all week and it was all I could do to not say anything, but I thought, Man what the family does not need [families do not need …] is hearing conflicting, especially very negative voices out there. And you know, also I'm not in the inner circle. And I just felt it would be I don't know, so insensitive when the family has [families have …] not been told, although I'm sure they must have suspected the worst you know, but to milk it out with this whole thing about 96 hours of oxygen [they knew their loved ones were risking their lives, and they knew too that the Greek Coast Guard is not known for its good behaviour]. You know, that was that was just a cruel, slow turn of the screw for four days as far as I'm concerned, because I knew the truth on Monday morning. 

 When people go down to a place like Titanic [risk everything to try to get to Europe] as, ah let's call it a citizen explorer, [a dreamer] right? I don't like ‘tourist’, [‘migrant’], I think somebody that's willing to spend that kind of money and do that kind of preparation and devote weeks of their life, they’re a citizen explorer [a dreamer]. They shouldn't have to worry about the vehicle that they're in. Worry about Titanic, [what happens when they get to Europe] because it's it's a dangerous site, [never an easy thing, starting a new life, leaving all that you know and everyone you love] but understand the risks, agree to those risks. But don't be in a situation where you haven't been told about the risks of the actual platform that you're diving in there [have to put your life on the line in order to seek safety]. In the 21st century, there shouldn't be any risks! We've managed to make it through 60 years without a fatality! [People are losing their lives, all the time, in the seas surrounding Europe, all the time!] Most people don't know this. No fatalities no major accidents in deep submergence. [Every single day, if you search the news, you will find stories of people - dreamers - whose lives are lost at sea purely because they are in search of safety or the possibility to live to their fullest potential]. There are a couple of fatalities with very shallow operating subs in the in the late 60s. [Since this horrific loss of life in the Mediterranean, at least 31 others have drowned off the Canary Islands, I tell you, we don’t know the half of this loss].  

You know, one of the saddest aspects of this is how preventable, it really was you know, [We could establish a variety of different safe and legal routes to help these dreamers come to Europe to work, to study, to reunite with family, to contribute to society both in their new communities and back home] and that to me is the greatest heartbreak of the whole thing. 

03:52  

James Cameron talking to our science correspondent …