Canada’s Transportation Safety Board says OceanGate’s Titan submersible operated without effective oversight from the federal government, despite interacting with numerous federal agencies.
The report makes six recommendations on how to close regulatory gaps and enhance safety in the submersible industry.
It was released just one day shy of the three-year anniversary of Titan’s final voyage.
“When it came to the Titan, critical information existed across multiple federal government organizations, but no one was responsible for connecting the dots,” said Yoan Marier, chair of the TSB. “Without a complete picture of the operation, the Titan continued to operate in Canada without regulatory oversight.”
Five people — including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush — met an instant death when the submersible’s carbon fibre hull imploded on its way down to the Titanic wreckage, 685 kilometres off the coast of St. John’s.
What began as a bold foray into adventure tourism ended with an international search effort and heavy scrutiny of a company and founder that chose to ignore industry standards and expert warnings in the pursuit of innovation.
This is a breaking news update. More to come.
