A report released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has attributed the tragic implosion of an experimental submersible, which claimed the lives of five individuals en route to the Titanic’s wreck, to engineering faults.
This conclusion was part of the NTSB’s comprehensive assessment of the Titan submersible’s hull failure and subsequent implosion in June 2023.
In a heartbreaking episode, all aboard perished instantly in the North Atlantic when the Titan suffered a catastrophic implosion while descending to the historic site.
The report highlighted that the Titan’s design flaws led to a carbon fiber composite pressure vessel that was plagued with numerous defects and fell short of essential safety and durability standards.
Furthermore, it pointed out that OceanGate, the company behind the Titan, failed to sufficiently test the craft and lacked awareness regarding its actual strength.
The NTSB’s evaluation also noted that if standard emergency protocols had been adhered to, the wreckage of the Titan might have been located more promptly, which would have conserved “time and resources, despite the fact that rescue efforts were futile in this situation.”
This report aligns with an earlier Coast Guard assessment issued in August, which labeled the Titan’s implosion as preventable. The Coast Guard’s findings revealed that OceanGate’s safety practices were “critically flawed” and exposed significant discrepancies between written safety procedures and real-world applications.
OceanGate announced a suspension of operations in July 2023 and has since sought to wind down its activities. A spokesperson for the company declined to comment as of Wednesday.
Following the release of the Coast Guard report in August, a representative from the company expressed condolences to the families of those who tragically lost their lives.
The fatal incident claimed the lives of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush alongside renowned French underwater explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, affectionately known as “Mr. Titanic”; British adventurer Hamish Harding; and two members of a distinguished Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood.
The NTSB’s report suggests the Coast Guard create a panel of experts to examine submersibles and other manned pressure vessels. It further recommends that regulatory measures be established based on the findings of this study.
It notes that existing regulations for small passenger vessels “allowed OceanGate to operate the Titan unsafely.”
Additionally, the report urged the Coast Guard to share the study findings with the expanding industry, which has seen growth due to increasing privately funded exploration ventures.
Prior to the Titan’s implosion, the company was aware of the potential for Coast Guard regulations.
In discussing OceanGate’s internal culture, the report references an operations technician who left the company after voicing concerns over marketing paying passengers as “mission specialists.”
According to the technician, the CEO remarked that “if the Coast Guard posed a problem… he would buy himself a congressman and get it sorted out.”
The Titan had been conducting dives to the Titanic site since 2021. Its last voyage took place on the morning of June 18, 2023.
Due to loss of communication with its support vessel approximately two hours after the dive, it was reported as overdue later that afternoon.
A prompt mobilization of ships, aircraft, and equipment ensued roughly 435 miles south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, leading to an extensive search for survivors that garnered international media attention. Once it became evident there were no survivors, the Coast Guard and other authorities launched thorough investigations into the situation.
