OceanGate submersible disaster due to faulty engineering: US officials
What's the story
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent US government investigative agency, has determined that the tragic implosion of a submersible on its way to the Titanic wreck in June 2023 was due to faulty engineering. The NTSB's final report stated that OceanGate, the company behind the Titan submersible, failed to properly test its experimental vessel before the ill-fated trip.
Durability concerns
OceanGate unaware of actual strength, durability of submersible
The NTSB report highlighted that OceanGate was unaware of the true strength and durability of its submersible. The flawed engineering led to a carbon fiber composite pressure vessel with multiple anomalies, which failed to meet necessary strength and durability requirements. This oversight contributed significantly to the disaster that claimed five lives, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.
Incident details
Ill-fated trip killed these people
Along with the CEO, French underwater explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British adventurer Hamish Harding, and two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, were also killed in the incident. The NTSB report also criticized OceanGate for not following standard guidance for emergency responses during this tragedy.
Culture critique
OceanGate's culture also under scanner
The NTSB report also criticized the culture at OceanGate. A former operations technician had raised alarms about potential Coast Guard regulations before the implosion and questioned the company's decision to call paying passengers "mission specialists." The technician alleged that when he raised these concerns, Rush said, "If the Coast Guard became a problem ... he would buy himself a congressman and make it go away."
Regulatory failures
Coast Guard investigation found glaring disparities in safety protocols
The NTSB report corroborates a Coast Guard investigation from August that deemed the Titan implosion preventable. The Coast Guard found OceanGate's safety procedures were "critically flawed" and there were "glaring disparities" between safety protocols and actual practices. In light of these findings, the NTSB has suggested that current regulations for small passenger vessels like the Titan are inadequate and have allowed OceanGate to operate in an unsafe manner.