US Coast Guard says Titan submersible's design a primary factor in implosion
Footage from a remotely operated vehicle shows, what the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation says is the debris of the Titan submersible that imploded while diving to the wreck of the Titanic, on the seafloor, September 17, 2024, in this still image from video. U.S. Coast Guard video courtesy of Pelagic Research Services/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
WASHINGTON - A U.S. Coast Guard investigative board concluded Tuesday that the "inadequate design" of the Titan submersible was a primary contributing factor in its implosion in 2023 that left five people dead.
The Titan was on a tourist expedition to the wreckage of the Titanic - a British passenger liner that sank in 1912, killing at least 1,500 on board - when it lost contact with its support vessel during descent. Its remains were found four days later, littering the seabed about 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the bow of the Titanic wreck.
The implosion was preventable, the chair of the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation, Jason Neubauer, said as a 300-page report was released following a two-year probe.
"There is a need for stronger oversight and clear options for operators who are exploring new concepts outside of the existing regulatory framework," he said in a statement.
A media spokesperson at OceanGate, the U.S.-based company that managed the tourist submersible and suspended all operations after the incident, was not immediately available for comment.
The board determined that the primary contributing factors were OceanGate's "inadequate design, certification, maintenance and inspection process for the Titan."
It also cited "a toxic workplace culture at OceanGate," an inadequate regulatory framework for submersibles and other novel vessels, and an ineffective whistleblower process.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore More train rides taken in first half-year, but overall public transport use stays below 2019 levels
Asia Philippines, India shore up ties amid China tensions, US tariff risks
Singapore 'She had a whole life ahead of her': Boyfriend mourns Yishun fatal crash victim
Singapore Doctor hounded ex-girlfriend, threatened to share her intimate photos, abducted her off street
Asia Trump's transactional foreign policy fuels 'US scepticism' in Taiwan
Singapore Beauty industry consumers hit by 464% rise in prepayment losses in first half of 2025
Singapore Over 5,900 vape products found in car at Woodlands Checkpoint
Singapore 13 taken to hospital after accident involving SBS buses, car in Tampines
The report added "for several years preceding the incident, OceanGate leveraged intimidation tactics, allowances for scientific operations, and the company's favorable reputation to evade regulatory scrutiny."
The board found that OceanGate failed to investigate and address known hull anomalies following its 2022 Titanic expedition. It said data from Titan's real-time monitoring system should have been analyzed and acted on during that expedition.
It also criticized OceanGate for failing to properly store the Titan before the 2023 Titanic expedition. REUTERS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Only 1.5% of Gaza farmland usable, says UN's FAO
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Palestinians watching an airdrop of food in the central Gaza Strip on Aug 6, 2025. PARIS - Only 1.5 per cent of Gaza's farmland is accessible and undamaged – just over 2 square kilometres – according to the latest satellite survey published on Aug 6 by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which warned the Palestinian territory was on 'the brink of a full-scale famine'. In its previous survey, published at the end of May, the FAO had indicated that less than 5 per cent of Gaza farmland was both accessible and undamaged, based on data from the UN Satellite Centre. The survey, which dates from July 28, found that 8.6 per cent of Gaza's farmland was accessible, but only 1.5 per cent, or 2.3 sq km was both accessible and usable. An additional 12.4 per cent of farmland is undamaged, but not accessible. An overwhelming majority of Gaza's farmland – 86.1 per cent – is damaged, the survey found. 'Gaza is now on the brink of a full-scale famine,' FAO director-general Qu Dongyu said in a statement. 'People are starving not because food is unavailable, but because access is blocked, local agrifood systems have collapsed, and families can no longer sustain even the most basic livelihoods,' he added. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore MRT track issue causes 5-hour delay; Jeffrey Siow says 'we can and will do better' Singapore ST Explains: What is a track point fault and why does it cause lengthy train disruptions? Singapore Three people taken to hospital after fire in Punggol executive condominium Singapore Elderly man found dead in SingPost Centre stairwell could have been in confused state: Coroner Singapore 81 primary schools to hold ballot for Phase 2C of Primary 1 registration Singapore S'pore and Indonesia have discussed jointly developing military training facilities: Chan Chun Sing Singapore Two workers died after being hit by flying gas cylinders in separate incidents in 2025 Sport Young Lions and distance runner Soh Rui Yong left out of SEA Games contingent Mr Qu called for safe and sustained humanitarian access to restore local food production and avoid a further loss of life. 'The right to food is a basic human right,' he said. Before the conflict, agriculture accounted for around 10 per cent of the Gaza Strip's economy. The FAO estimated that more than 560,000 people, or a quarter of the population, were being at least partially supported by agriculture and fishing. The Israeli government is under growing pressure to bring the war in Gaza to an end, with concern mounting after the United Nations warned that famine was unfolding in the territory of more than two million Palestinians. The October 2023 attack by Hamas that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, the majority of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas' 2023 attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. The Israeli offensive has killed at least 61,158 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Gaza health ministry, which are considered reliable by the United Nations. AFP
Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Straits Times
Migrant workers who saved driver from sinkhole get SCDF awards, mobile data and goodie bags
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The workers who rescued a woman received the SCDF Community Lifesaver Award certificate and medallion from Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming (fourth from left). SINGAPORE – Seven workers who rescued a woman from a sinkhole in Tanjong Katong Road South were presented with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) Community Lifesaver Award on Aug 6. Mr Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah, Mr Sathapillai Rajendran, Mr Anbazhagan Velmurugan, Mr Bose Ajithkumar, Mr Poomalai Saravanan, Mr Ganesan Veerasekar and Mr Arumugam Chandirasekaran received the SCDF Community Lifesaver Award certificate and medallion from Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming. They had pulled a female driver out of a sinkhole using a nylon rope on July 26, after her car fell into one that formed in Tanjong Katong Road South. Speaking at the event, Mr Goh thanked the workers and said: 'Very bravely, instead of running away from danger, you put yourself in the line of risk and stepped forward to rescue the driver from the vehicle that fell into the sinkhole. 'Singapore is better because you have played a part in helping to support and build parts of Singapore – very good parts of it – that we have today,' added Mr Goh, who is an MP for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC. The seven men also received a year's worth of unlimited mobile data and a goodie bag of household items sponsored by Singtel at an appreciation lunch hosted by the Marine Parade Citizens' Consultative Committee at a communal hall next to Block 74 Marine Drive. Each goodie bag contained household essentials, including laundry detergent, cooling towels, shower gel, a portable fan and jasmine rice. The seven workers were treated to a traditional Indian lunch buffet at the event. The SCDF Community Lifesaver Award is presented to members of the public who respond swiftly to emergencies and help to save lives before SCDF arrives on the scene. Forty-three other workers who were involved in the recovery works to repair the sinkhole will also be receiving goodie bags. Speaking on behalf of the six other workers in Tamil, Mr Subbiah, 46, said they were happy to receive this outpouring of gratitude from the public. He noted that all seven of them were involved in pulling the driver out of the sinkhole, and managing the flow of traffic to prevent other cars from falling into the sinkhole. 'My family is very happy and very proud of me,' the construction site supervisor said. 'I like the support I get from Singaporeans who gave their thanks. I would like to stay here for five or 10 more years,' Mr Subbiah said, adding that he really likes Singapore. Mr Rajendran, a 56-year-old excavator operator who has worked in Singapore for 26 years, said he feels a sense of patriotism towards Singapore because he feels that his efforts were recognised. Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming speaking to the workers who rescued a woman from a sinkhole in Tanjong Katong Road South at an appreciation lunch on Aug 6. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY The men were overheard telling Mr Goh over lunch that they were not hoping to get anything from the Government and were just happy to be recognised. The sinkhole had formed next to a national water agency PUB worksite in Tanjong Katong Road South. Sections of the road were closed to traffic from the evening of July 26, and were fully reopened on Aug 4 after a week-long closure . Mr Goh told the media that he is focusing on engaging the residents who live near the sinkhole, via house visits, to listen to concerns they might have. He said he has met the management of One Amber condominium next to the sinkhole to reassure residents that engineers had conducted checks and the buildings are structurally safe. He declined to provide more details on the ongoing investigations being carried out by PUB and the Building and Construction Authority.
Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Straits Times
Three people taken to hospital after fire in Punggol executive condominium
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The living room of a 16th-floor unit was on fire when firefighters arrived at the scene. SINGAPORE - Three people were taken to hospital after a fire broke out in an executive condominium in Punggol on Aug 6. In a Facebook post on Aug 6, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it responded to the fire at Block 19 Punggol Field Walk at about 7pm. The address is the location of a block at Waterwoods executive condominium. The living room of a 16th-floor unit was on fire when firefighters arrived at the scene. SCDF forcibly entered the unit and extinguished the fire with a water jet. During the fire-fighting operation, four people were found in the unit and were brought to safety by firefighters, said SCDF. All four were conscious and were assessed for smoke inhalation. Two were taken to KK Women's and Children's Hospital, one to Singapore General Hospital and the other declined to be taken to the hospital. Police and SCDF officers evacuated about 100 people from the affected block as a precautionary measure. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
