OceanGate chief ‘completely ignored' inspections before Titan submersible implosion
A report into the fatal Titan sub disaster found that OceanGate's cultural and safety practices were 'critically flawed', with the company using 'intimidation tactics' to avoid proper scrutiny.
The report, carried out by the US Coast Guard, found that the primary cause of the implosion was a 'failure to follow established engineering protocols for safety, testing and maintenance of their submersible'.
Stockton Rush, the company's CEO, was on board the Titan sub when it disappeared on June 18, 2023, while around 3,800 metres below the surface of the Atlantic.
A four-day search for life ensued, with the eventual discovery of a debris field containing parts of the Titan found around 500 metres from the bow of the liner.
He was joined by Hamish Harding, a British explorer, Henri Nargeolet, a French diver, and Shahzada Dawood, the British-Pakistani businessman who took his son, Suleman, on a visit to the Titanic wreck.
The family of Titan sub passengers Shahzada and Suleman Dawood released a statement in the aftermath of the report, calling for tougher regulation and oversight of submersible diving.
The report has confirmed 'unregulated behaviour, a lack of accountability, and a fundamentally flawed design' led to their deaths, a family statement read.
'No report can alter the heartbreaking outcome, nor fill the immeasurable void left by two cherished members of our family,' it continued.
'We believe that accountability and regulatory change must follow such a catastrophic failure,' it said, adding the family hopes the tragedy will serve as a turning point to bring 'meaningful reform, rigorous safety standards, and effective oversight'.
'If Shahzada and Suleman's legacy can be a catalyst for regulatory change that helps prevent such a loss from ever happening again, it will bring us some measure of peace.'
The report, released on Tuesday, found that Mr Rush's 'exhibited negligence' contributed to his death and the four passengers who joined him on the Titan sub.
It said he 'completely ignored' crucial inspections that could have spotted fatal flaws in the submersible's design.
'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,' it read.
Mr Rush 'may have been subject to criminal liability' had he not been killed in the incident, with the US Coast Guard saying they would have referred him to the Department of Justice to pursue a 'separate criminal investigation'.
The ultimate cause of the Titan's sub implosion was the loss of structural integrity of its carbon fibre hull, which led to the 'instantaneous' death of everyone onboard, the US Coast Guard said.
'This loss of structural integrity caused the sudden catastrophic implosion of the hull,' the report said.
The people on board were 'exposed to approximately 4,930 pounds per square inch of water pressure, resulting in the instantaneous death of all five occupants'.
In total, eight primary factors were given as reasons for the sub's implosion, including the fact that the vessel did not meet the strict engineering standards required for an 'inherently hazardous environment'.
OceanGate did not conduct an analysis to understand the life-cycle of the sub, instead over relying on a real-time monitoring system.
The company also continued to use the vessel, despite a number of incidents that compromised its safety, which were not properly investigated. It also failed to conduct proper maintenance before the doomed 2023 expedition.
The vessel's carbon fibre construction led to flaws that weakened its overall structural integrity.
The report found that OceanGate had a 'toxic workplace environment', which led to staff members being fired to stop them from expressing concerns about safety standards.
Warnings about the safety of Titan's design were raised prior to the dive. A former OceanGate employee said a safety incident was inevitable, telling investigators that the company had bypassed all standard safety rules.
The US Coast Guard believes the carbon fibre layers began to break down during a previous expedition – the 80th such dive the sub had made.
Passengers on that dive said they heard a loud bang, which Mr Rush put down to the sub shifting its frame.
But the US Coast Guard now believes it would have been caused by delamination, which involves a material breaking down into thinner layers.
Following the sub's implosion, its wreckage was scattered across the seabed of the Atlantic, as was Mr Rush's clothing and business cards.
A message that was sent from the doomed submersible gave false hope to Mr Rush's wife that the journey was proceeding as normal.
Footage shows that Wendy Rush, the wife of OceanGate's chief executive Stockton Rush, heard a loud bang while on board the support vessel but did not realise what had happened.
'What was that bang?' she asked, not realising that her husband had just been killed alongside Titan's four other passengers.
She then received a text message from the sub, which was at a depth of 3,300 metres as it descended to the wreck of the Titanic, saying that it had dropped two weights.
The message reassured Mrs Rush that the expedition was proceeding normally, but in reality it took longer to receive than the sound of the implosion.
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