Pak billionaire’s teen son was ‘terrified’ of Titanic expedition, only went to please father

Suleman Dawood (L) with his father Shahzada Dawood

Suleman Dawood, the 19-year-old son of Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood who accompanied his father on the ill-fated voyage to view the Titanic shipwreck was “terrified” before the trip, his aunt has said. Suleman Dawood is one of five passengers presumed dead in a catastrophic implosion that is believed to have destroyed OceanGate’s Titan submersible this week, which was on its way to view the historic shipwreck in the Atlantic Ocean. At 19, he was the youngest victim of the tragedy.

Speaking to NBC News from her home in Amsterdam, Azmeh Dawood — the older sister of Shahzada Dawood – said her nephew had told a relative that he “wasn’t up” for the voyage.

She said that Suleman ended up going on the expedition as it was falling over Father’s Day weekend and he wanted to please his father.

Shahzada Dawood, 48, was the vice chairman of Karachi-based Engro Corporation and one of Pakistan’s wealthiest men. Engro Corporation, one of Pakistan's largest conglomerates, has investments in fertilisers, vehicle manufacturing, energy and digital technologies.

He and his 19-year-old son were part of the five-member crew of OceanGate’s Titanic expedition.

Azmeh said she was left devastated when OceanGate confirmed all five members of the expedition were presumed dead.

“I am thinking of Suleman, who is 19, in there, just perhaps gasping for breath... It's been crippling, to be honest,” she said in a telephonic interview with NBC News, speaking between sobs.

“I personally have found it kind of difficult to breathe thinking of them,” she added. “I never thought I would have an issue with drawing breath. It's been unlike any experience I've ever had.”

Azmeh recalled that her younger brother Shahzada was absolutely obsessed with the Titanic even as a young child. He liked going to exhibitions featuring artefacts recovered from the shipwreck, and one his favourite movies as a child was ‘A Night to Remember.’