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The catastrophic implosion of the Titan submersible in June 2023, which resulted in the deaths of five individuals, has been deemed “preventable” by a recent U.S. Coast Guard report.
This comprehensive 300-page report, published on Tuesday, August 5 by the Marine Board of Investigation of the U.S. Coast Guard, found that OceanGate and its CEO, Stockton Rush—who perished on this final mission with four others—neglected safety warnings, did not adhere to “recognized engineering protocols,” and used “intimidation tactics” to bypass thorough inspections before the disaster.
The report emphasized the necessity for enhanced regulatory oversight in the future, especially for vessels that employ unique design and operational techniques akin to the Titan submersible. The vessel was designed to offer tourists a unique adventure to the Titanic wreck site under the sea.
On June 18, 2023, the Titan suffered an implosion during its expedition to the Titanic site, resulting in the immediate fatalities of all five aboard, including Rush, the CEO and chief pilot, along with “Titanic content expert” Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and passengers Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, and his son, Suleman Dawood.
What caused the Titan implosion?
The investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard’s Marine Board highlighted that the “primary casual factor” of the implosion was “OceanGate’s failure to adhere to established engineering protocols regarding the safety, testing, and maintenance of their submersible.”
The report states that OceanGate overlooked “elementary engineering principles” during the construction of the submersible’s carbon fiber hull, ignored evident design faults, and failed to adequately investigate “identified hull anomalies” or analyze data for forecasting its lifespan reliably.
The report also stated that OceanGate failed to “conduct any preventative maintenance or properly store the Titan during the extended off season before its 2023 Titanic expedition,” according to a news release on the findings.
“This marine casualty and the loss of five lives was preventable,” Jason Neubauer, the chair of the Titan Marine Board of Investigation, said in a statement. “The two-year investigation has identified multiple contributing factors that led to this tragedy, providing valuable lessons learned to prevent a future occurrence.”
Along with the design, maintenance and inspection flaws, the board also concluded that OceanGate employed “intimidation tactics” and created a toxic work culture that prevented others from coming forward to voice their concerns.
“Glaring disparities”
The board noted “glaring disparities” between the company’s written safety protocols and actual practices.
It contended that the issue was compounded further by a lack of domestic and international regulatory framework for submersible operations or vessels of novel design.
“By strategically creating and exploiting regulatory confusion and oversight challenges, OceanGate was ultimately able to operate Titan completely outside of the established deep-sea protocols, which had historically contributed to a strong safety record for commercial submersibles,” the authors of the report noted. “The lack of both third-party oversight and experienced OceanGate employees on staff during their 2023 Titan operations allowed OceanGate’s Chief Executive Officer to completely ignore vital inspections, data analyses, and preventative maintenance procedures, culminating in a catastrophic event.”
The report also stated that if OceanGate’s CEO and chief pilot had survived, the Marine Board of Investigation “would have recommended that the Commandant refer the matter to [the Department of Justice] for their consideration on whether to pursue a separate criminal investigation.”
In addition, the detailed report included 17 safety recommendations to avoid a future tragedy, including restricting the Oceanographic Research Vessel designations for submersibles and expanding federal and international requirements to all submersibles conducting scientific or commercial dives.
Documentary highlights OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush
The report was released two months after the documentary film Titan: The OceanGate Submersible Disaster debuted in June on Netflix. The project takes a close look at Rush and the brazen CEO’s quest to transform adventure tourism.
The documentary includes interviews with former OceanGate staff including David Lochridge, a submersible pilot and OceanGate’s former director of marine operations, who was fired after voicing concerns.
