Latest news with #OceanGateExpeditions
Toronto Sun
5 days ago
- General
- Toronto Sun
Titan disaster: Federal Fisheries Department was part of previous OceanGate mission
Published Aug 08, 2025 • Last updated 5 minutes ago • 3 minute read This undated image courtesy of OceanGate Expeditions, shows their Titan submersible beginning a descent. The US Coast Guard on September 16, 2024, began a hearing over the implosion of the privately owned Titan submersible that killed five people on a journey to the Titanic last year. The two-week hearing into the catastrophe will feature evidence as to what went wrong and whether physical or design failure contributed to the accident, which garnered worldwide attention. Photo by HANDOUT / OceanGate Expeditions/AFP via Ge HALIFAX — The federal Fisheries Department is shedding new light on its relationship with OceanGate, the American company behind the deepsea Titan submersible that imploded south of Newfoundland in 2023, killing all five people aboard. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The department confirmed Thursday that in the summer of 2021, a staff member boarded a vessel 'associated with OceanGate' to participate as an observer during a mission off Newfoundland. 'The purpose was to learn more about OceanGate,' the department said in an email sent to The Canadian Press. 'Upon conclusion of the mission, it was determined that (OceanGate's) priorities did not align with the department's scientific objectives, and a further relationship was not pursued.' No other details were provided about the trip. When asked if any federal employees raised safety concerns about OceanGate, a department spokesman said safety for submersibles does not fall within the department's mandate. 'The department was not involved in risk assessment or operational oversight of any subsequent missions,' the spokesman said in an email. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Earlier this week, the U.S. Coast Guard released a report that concluded the tragedy on June 18, 2023, could have been prevented had OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush heeded safety warnings and calls for independent inspections and certification of the submersible. This combination of pictures created on June 21, 2023 shows Titan submersible passengers (left to right, top to bottom) Hamish Harding, Stockton Rush, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Suleman Dawood and his father Shahzada Dawood. Photo by JOEL SAGET, HANDOUT/Dirty Dozen Productions/OceanGa / AFP via Getty Images Rush was among those killed when Titan split apart as it descended near the Titanic, about four kilometres below the surface of the North Atlantic. Safety procedures at OceanGate, a private company based in Washington state, were 'critically flawed' and there were 'glaring disparities' between safety protocols and actual practices, the coast guard's report said. The 300-page report also revealed that in May 2021, Canada's Fisheries Department had written a 'letter of support' to Rush, saying the department wanted to collaborate with his company to assess its submersibles for scientific research. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Only portions of the letter were included in the coast guard report. The Fisheries Department sent a copy of the letter to The Canadian Press on Wednesday, along with a statement that suggested its initial discussions with OceanGate were routine. 'Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) routinely expresses interest in scientific collaboration with a wide variety of potential partners,' a spokesman said Wednesday in an email. 'In early 2021, DFO had a series of exploratory discussions with OceanGate. The (May 2021) letter was sent to summarize the discussions that took place and the potential for the department to work with the company, beginning in 2021, to determine the applicability of its marine research systems.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The letter, dated May 19, 2021, makes it clear that department officials were keen to work with Rush and his team. 'DFO Maritimes Region is pleased with the discussions with OceanGate, the offer to participate in 2021, and the unique opportunity being offered to Canadian scientists and conservation efforts.' The letter also mentions possible funding from Ottawa. The department spokesman also confirmed in the Wednesday email there were discussions about having a staff member board the submersible on an expedition to the Titanic, almost 700 kilometres south of Newfoundland. But he said that never happened. The department did not explain why the relationship with OceanGate was eventually terminated or mention its collaboration on another vessel until pressed for details the next day. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Besides DFO's letter of support in 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard's investigation found no evidence of any actual collaboration or funding. The submersible's implosion also killed French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British adventurer Hamish Harding and two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood. In June, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said the independent agency had completed its investigation report, which at the time was being reviewed. Read More
Belfast Telegraph
7 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Negligence of Titan tour operator chief contributed to implosion deaths
The negligence exhibited by the chief executive of the tour operator responsible for the Titan submersible, which fatally imploded near the wreckage of the Titanic, contributed to the deaths of four people, a report has concluded. The US Coast Guard said OceanGate Expeditions 'leveraged intimidation tactics… to evade regulatory scrutiny' before the implosion of the deep-sea vessel which led to the deaths of five people, including chief executive Stockton Rush, in June 2023.
Express Tribune
7 days ago
- General
- Express Tribune
US releases report on Titan submersible implosion
This undated image courtesy of OceanGate Expeditions, shows their Titan submersible launching from a platform. Safety failures by the OceanGate company led to the deadly 2023 implosion of its Titan submersible, the US Coast Guard said in a final report published on August 5. PHOTO: AFP Multiple failures to follow standard safety protocol led to the deadly implosion of a private submersible visiting the Titanic wreckage in 2023, according to a final report published on Tuesday. The US Coast Guard investigation outlined a litany of issues with operator OceanGate's conduct, as well as design flaws in its Titan submersible, that contributed to a "preventable tragedy" in which all five passengers were killed. The 335-page report said "OceanGate's failure to follow established engineering protocols for safety, testing, and maintenance of their submersible, was the primary causal factor" for the implosion. It also accused the company of "intimidation evade regulatory scrutiny." OceanGate had a "toxic workplace environment which used firings of senior staff members and the looming threat of being fired to dissuade employees and contractors from expressing safety concerns," the report said. OceanGate chief executive Stockton Rush was joined on the doomed expedition by British explorer Hamish Harding, French deep-sea explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani-British tycoon Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman. Seats on the submersible cost $250,000 per person. Communications were lost with the SUV-sized submersible about an hour and 45 minutes into its dive on June 18, 2023, kicking off a dramatic search that briefly captivated the world. Over two miles underwater when the hull collapsed, all occupants "were exposed to approximately 4,930 pounds per square inch of water pressure," resulting in "instantaneous death," the report said. Two seconds later, the monitoring team on the support ship "heard a 'bang' emanating from the ocean's surface, which the investigation later correlated to the Titan's implosion." Debris was found a few days later on the ocean floor, about 1,600 feet (500 meters) from the bow of the Titanic, and human remains were recovered when the sub was brought to the surface. In its report, the Coast Guard said that OceanGate had continued to use Titan despite "a series of incidents that compromised the integrity of the hull and other critical components of the submersible without properly assessing or inspecting the hull." It also identified design flaws with the unique carbon fiber hull "that weakened the overall structural integrity." The US Coast Guard said that the vessel was not "registered, certified, inspected, or classed" by any international flag administration or recognized organization. Last year, the family of Nargeolet sued OceanGate for $50 million, accusing the US-based company of gross negligence. Known as "Mr. Titanic," he had visited the wreckage 37 previous times. Shortly after the tragedy, OceanGate halted all operations. The wreckage of the Titanic sits 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland and has become a lure for nautical experts and underwater tourists since its discovery in 1985. The ship hit an iceberg and sank in 1912 during its maiden voyage from England to New York, with 2,224 passengers and crew on board. More than 1,500 people died.
West Australian
05-08-2025
- General
- West Australian
OceanGate Titan submarine disaster report 2025: ‘Preventable' implosion, toxic workplace and safety negligence
The tour operator responsible for the Titan submersible, which fatally imploded near the wreckage of the Titanic, 'leveraged intimidation tactics' to 'evade regulatory scrutiny,' a US Coast Guard investigation report concludes. The disappearance of the Titan off Canada in June 2023 led to a search that grabbed worldwide attention. The incident resulted in the deaths of five people - including British adventurer Hamish Harding and father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood. The chief executive of tour operator OceanGate Expeditions, Stockton Rush, and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet, were also killed in the incident. On Tuesday, the US Coast Guard published a 335-page report in which it identified eight 'primary causal factors' that led to the fatal implosion. The report said the implosion was 'preventable'. The report said OceanGate had a 'toxic workplace environment' and used the 'looming threat of being fired' to prevent staff from coming forward with safety concerns. It added that analysis revealed a 'disturbing pattern of misrepresentation and reckless disregard for safety'. The report criticised OceanGate's design and testing processes and the continued use of the Titan submersible despite 'a series of incidents that compromised the integrity of the hull and other critical components'. The tour operator's former director of engineering was reported by the US Coast Guard to have said the first hull used on the Titan submersible was akin to a 'high school project'. According to the report, a contractor hired by OceanGate in 2022 voiced 'numerous safety concerns' to a company director, before being told: 'You have a bad attitude, you don't have an explorer mindset, you know, we're innovative and we're cowboys, and a lot of people can't handle that'. Authored by lead investigator Thomas Whalen and marine board chairman Jason Neubauer, the report said that for several years preceding the incident, OceanGate 'leveraged intimidation tactics,' allowances for scientific operations, and 'the company's favourable reputation to evade regulatory scrutiny'. '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 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.' The submersible disaster has led to lawsuits and calls for tighter regulation of the developing private deep-sea expedition industry. with AP
Perth Now
05-08-2025
- General
- Perth Now
Titan submarine implosion ‘preventable', Coast Guard reveals
The tour operator responsible for the Titan submersible, which fatally imploded near the wreckage of the Titanic, 'leveraged intimidation tactics' to 'evade regulatory scrutiny,' a US Coast Guard investigation report concludes. The disappearance of the Titan off Canada in June 2023 led to a search that grabbed worldwide attention. The incident resulted in the deaths of five people - including British adventurer Hamish Harding and father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood. The chief executive of tour operator OceanGate Expeditions, Stockton Rush, and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet, were also killed in the incident. On Tuesday, the US Coast Guard published a 335-page report in which it identified eight 'primary causal factors' that led to the fatal implosion. The report said the implosion was 'preventable'. The report said OceanGate had a 'toxic workplace environment' and used the 'looming threat of being fired' to prevent staff from coming forward with safety concerns. It added that analysis revealed a 'disturbing pattern of misrepresentation and reckless disregard for safety'. The report criticised OceanGate's design and testing processes and the continued use of the Titan submersible despite 'a series of incidents that compromised the integrity of the hull and other critical components'. The tour operator's former director of engineering was reported by the US Coast Guard to have said the first hull used on the Titan submersible was akin to a 'high school project'. According to the report, a contractor hired by OceanGate in 2022 voiced 'numerous safety concerns' to a company director, before being told: 'You have a bad attitude, you don't have an explorer mindset, you know, we're innovative and we're cowboys, and a lot of people can't handle that'. Authored by lead investigator Thomas Whalen and marine board chairman Jason Neubauer, the report said that for several years preceding the incident, OceanGate 'leveraged intimidation tactics,' allowances for scientific operations, and 'the company's favourable reputation to evade regulatory scrutiny'. '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 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.' The submersible disaster has led to lawsuits and calls for tighter regulation of the developing private deep-sea expedition industry. with AP
