4 days ago
Titan sub: Final U.S. report blames ‘critically flawed' culture, processes
The Titan submersible implosion that killed five people was the result of a 'critically flawed' safety culture at OceanGate, the final U.S. Coastal Guard report on the disaster said on Tuesday.
The final report of the Marine Board of Investigation into the Titan submersible implosion, which caused the deaths of all five passengers in June 2023, was released Tuesday, outlining the causes behind the disaster.
'OceanGate's design and testing processes for TITAN did not adequately address many of the fundamental engineering principles that would be crucial for constructing a hull to the precision necessary for the intended operations in an inherently hazardous environment,' the report said.
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It added that OceanGate's safety culture and operational practices were 'critically flawed and at the core of these failures were glaring disparities between their written safety protocols and their actual practices.'
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It also blamed the 'toxic workplace culture' at OceanGate 'and the looming threat of being fired to dissuade employees and contractors from expressing safety concerns.'
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'OceanGate Chief Executive Officer's sustained efforts to misrepresent TITAN as indestructible due to unconfirmed safety margins and alleged conformance with advanced engineering principles provided a false sense of safety for passengers and regulators,' the report said.
On June 18, 2023, the submersible went missing in the northern Atlantic Ocean during an underwater expedition to view the site of the Titanic shipwreck.
The expedition off the coast of Newfoundland, operated by U.S. company OceanGate Expeditions, was reported overdue shortly after 9 p.m. local time Sunday evening and above-water crews had not been able to contact the vessel.
Those on board include a billionaire adventurer, a wealthy businessman and his son, and the CEO of OceanGate.
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Tuesday's report said OceanGate 'did not ensure an analysis was conducted to understand the expected cycle-life' of the Titan's hull. It added that OceanGate's 'continued use of the TITAN after a series of incidents that compromised the integrity of the hull' was one of the causes behind the disaster.
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The Titan's carbon fibre design 'introduced flaws that weakened the overall structural integrity' of the hull, the report said.
Carbon fibre is considered to be unreliable in deep water and was a highly unconventional building material. The U.S. hearing into the disaster heard that each dive taken by the Titan likely compressed and damaged the vessel, making it weaker over time.
— With files from Global's Michelle Butterfield
