The MBI (Investigating Council) of the United States Coastal Guard Navy, in charge of examining the implosion of the submersible Titan in June 2023, announced on Tuesday (5) a 300-page report-with the chairman Jason Neubauer, stating that the deaths of five people on board were “avoidable”.
“The two -year investigation identified multiple contributing factors that led to this tragedy, providing valuable lessons to prevent a future occurrence,” MBI president Neubauer said in a statement.
The document attributes responsibility for the large part to Oceangate, a Washington -based company operating Titan.
The Council concluded that the “main contributing factors” for the implosion were the “inappropriate process of design, certification, maintenance and inspection of the company”, also pointing to “toxic culture in the workplace”.
Learn the main causes:
- Inadequate design and test processes
- No significant analysis of the carbon fiber hull life cycle
- Excessive dependence on a “real -time monitoring system” that used sensors and meters to evaluate the conditions of the hull
- Continuation of the use of hull after previous incidents
- Failure to investigate the hull after significant damage to previous dives
- Storage of the outdoor submersible in Canada during the winter, exposing the hull to extreme temperature fluctuations
Ocean Gate’s responsibility according to a report
Authorities also identified evidence of a possible crime, in particular for the misconduct or negligence of the ship’s officers, and would have recommended that the matter be referred to the US Department of Justice if Oceangate CEO, Stockton Rush, had survived.
“The MBI concluded that Mr. Rush, in his dual function as CEO and as commander or interim pilot of the submersible Titan, showed negligence that contributed to the death of four people,” the report says.
The investigators say the company worked for several years before the accident to circumvent regulators, avoiding the review by third parties that could have avoided what Tuesday’s report calls “catastrophic event.”
“For several years before the accident, Oceangate used intimidation tactics, concessions for scientific operations and the company’s favorable reputation to escape regulatory scrutiny,” the report says. “By creating and strategically exploring the regulatory confusion and the challenges of supervision, Oceangate was ultimately managed to operate Titan completely outside the deep water -established protocols, which historically contributed to a strong history of safety for commercial submersible.”
“The lack of supervision by third party and experienced Oceangate employees during Titan operations in 2023” allowed CEO Stockton Rush to “completely ignore vital inspections, data analysis and preventive maintenance procedures, culminating in a catastrophic event.”
Company response
Following the release of the US Coastal Guard Maritime Council report, an Oceangate spokesman condolences to the families of the victims of the implosion of the Titan submarine.
“We reiterate our deepest condolences to the families of those who died on June 18, 2023 and all affected by the tragedy,” said the spokesman. “After the tragedy, the company definitely ended its operations and directed its resources fully to cooperate with the coastal guard investigation until its conclusion.”
