The Coast Guard has released the findings in its investigation into the tragic Titan "implosion" and found that it was wholly preventable, and the CEO of the private company that operated it, OceanGate, was negligent.
In a Report of Investigation (ROI) out Tuesday, it was revealed that the investigation found that the CEO of OceanGate, Stockton Rush, could have faced criminal charges had he lived in the submersible disaster following its deep-sea dive in the North Atlantic Ocean to the Titanic in June of 2023 that killed all five of its passengers.
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A press release from the Coast Guard Marine Board found:
The board determined the primary contributing factors were OceanGate's inadequate design, certification, maintenance and inspection process for the Titan. Other factors cited in the report include a toxic workplace culture at OceanGate, an inadequate domestic and international regulatory framework for submersible operations and vessels of novel design, and an ineffective whistleblower process under the Seaman's Protection Act.
The board also found OceanGate failed to properly investigate and address known hull anomalies following its 2022 Titanic expedition. Investigators determined the Titan's real-time monitoring system generated data that should have been analyzed and acted on during the 2022 Titanic expedition. However, OceanGate did not take any action related to the data, conduct any preventative maintenance, or properly store the Titan during the extended off-season before its 2023 Titanic expedition.
"This marine casualty and the loss of five lives was preventable," Jason Neubauer, with the Marine Board of Investigation, said. "The two-year investigation has identified multiple contributing factors that led to this tragedy, providing valuable lessons learned to prevent a future occurrence."
"There is a need for stronger oversight and clear options for operators who are exploring new concepts outside of the existing regulatory framework," he added. "I am optimistic the ROI's findings and recommendations will help improve awareness of the risks and the importance of proper oversight while still providing a pathway for innovation."
Diving further into the report, the Marine Board found that:
The U.S. Coast Guard's Marine Board of Investigation into the fatal incident found that OceanGate's failure to follow established engineering protocols for safety, testing, and maintenance of their submersible, was the primary causal factor.
The investigation further identified the need for proper corporate governance, a professional workplace culture, and improved regulatory oversight, in particular for novel vessel designs and operations.
"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," the report went on.
It also found that OceanGates' CEO'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 concluded that Rush "exhibited negligence that contributed to the deaths of four individuals."
SEE: Multimillionaire Backed out of Titanic Sub Trip, Claims Company Was 'Cutting Too Many Corners'
"As both a corporate executive responsible for the vessel's operation and its Master during the casualty, Mr. Rush may have been subject to criminal liability under the standards set forth in 18 USC § 1115," it added. "It is important to note that the determination of whether any crime was committed would be made by the DoJ [Department of Justice] following its own investigation and analysis, which will not occur in this instance due to the death of Mr. Rush."
In 2023, Titan set out on a deep-sea mission to see the Titanic. Two hours after it took off, its support ship lost contact with the submersible. What followed consisted of a massive search and rescue operation between the United States and Canada. On the fourth day, the Coast Guard announced that debris from Titan was found near the Titanic.
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