KEY POINTS
- NTSB Finds OceanGate’s Engineering Process ‘Inadequate’ in 2023 Titanic Sub Disaster
- OceanGate’s design failed to meet pressure standards, and damage went undetected after previous dives.
WASHINGTON: Flawed engineering design and insufficient testing were the main causes of the 2023 Titan submersible disaster during a private expedition to the Titanic wreck, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Wednesday, describing the deadly implosion as a “preventable tragedy.”
The report, following an earlier US Coast Guard investigation, highlighted serious lapses in OceanGate’s design, construction, and safety oversight, calling the incident a “preventable tragedy.”
All five people aboard, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, British explorer Hamish Harding, French oceanographer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Pakistani-British businessman Shahzada Dawood with his son Suleman, were killed. Each seat aboard the submersible was priced at $250,000 per passenger.
According to the NTSB, OceanGate’s engineering process “was inadequate” and led to the construction of a carbon-fibre pressure vessel that “contained multiple anomalies” and failed to meet strength and durability requirements.
The company’s limited testing meant it did not understand the sub’s real pressure tolerance, the report added.
Furthermore, OceanGate’s monitoring systems failed to detect prior damage to the Titan, which should have been removed from service after an earlier dive.
The submersible lost communication about 1 hour and 45 minutes into its June 18, 2023 descent, triggering an intense multinational search operation. Debris was later found around 500 meters from the Titanic’s bow, confirming a fatal implosion.
Following the incident, OceanGate halted all operations, and Nargeolet’s family filed a $50 million lawsuit against the company, accusing it of gross negligence.
The Titanic wreck, located 644 kilometers off Newfoundland, continues to attract explorers and tourists since its discovery in 1985.
The legendary ship sank in 1912 after striking an iceberg, killing more than 1,500 of its 2,224 passengers and crew.
