5 days ago
- General
- Irish Daily Mirror
Major report slams Titanic sub disaster owners over submersible implosion
A report by the US Coast guard has slammed the owners of the OceanGate over the Titan submersible implosion.
The report found OceanGate failed to follow established engineering protocols that put people on board at serious risk.
The US Coast Guard said OceanGate "leveraged intimidation tactics" in order to avoid regulatory scrutiny.
All five people on board died instantly after the submersible was subjected to intense water pressure.
14:41 Anders Anglesey
The Marine Board of Investigation report said the US Coastguard was not to blame for the implosion.
It said there were "no acts of misconduct, incompetence, negligence, unskillfulness, or violations of law" by the coastguard.
14:31 Anders Anglesey
The report said had CEO Rush survived, investigators would have called for the Department of Justice to consider pursuing a criminal investigation into him.
14:25 Anders Anglesey
A former OceanGate staff member told investigators the company was "economically" very stressed.
They said: "The company was economically very stressed and as a result, [they] were making decisions that compromised safety"
14:15 Anders Anglesey
The US Coastguard report slammed nearly every aspect of OceanGate and how it was run.
It said the primary factor was the failure of the company to follow "established engineering protocols."
The sub had been known to be unreliable under pressure and its layers were known to come apart. (Image: OceanGate Expeditions/AFP via Ge)
14:11 Anders Anglesey
The Titan sub began its dive to reach the Titanic on June 18, 2023.
90 minutes into the decent to reach the wreckage (at 12,467ft), the sub experienced a catasrophic failure.
It was 500 metres away from reaching the Titanic.
Everyone was killed instantly. The sub was later found completely crushed.
14:00 Anders Anglesey
Five people died on board the Titan sub during its dive to reach the wreckage of the Titanic.
Those who died were: OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, 61
British adventurer Hamish Hardin, 58,
British businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48
His son Suleman Dawood, 19
Ex-French Navy diver Paul-Henry Nargeolet
13:57 Anders Anglesey
The US Coastguard report said CEO Stockton Rusk ignored inspections amid a culture of a lack of oversight.
The report said: "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." CEO of OceanGate Stockton Rush was onboard the Titan when it imploded (Image: BBC )
13:55 Anders Anglesey
OceanGate had a "toxic environment" where staff were fired in order to dissuade them from sharing safety concerns.
13:51 Anders Anglesey
The US Coastguard report identified several causes for the implosion. OceanGate's "critically flawed" safety practices
The Titan being misrepresented as indestructible
Senior leadership for allowing a culture of customer expectations being prioritised over other responsibilities
A lack of oversight
13:49 KEY EVENT
The "negligence" of OceanGate CEO and the pilot of the Titan submersible Stockton Rush contributed to deaths on board, the report said.
An investigation found "evidence of a potentially criminal offence" and Rush "may have been subject to criminal liability." Stockton Rusk was one of the five people on board who died (Image: AP)
13:39 KEY EVENT
A report into the Titan implosion has found company OceanGate had "critically flawed" safety practices.
