US Coast Guard Report on Titan Submersible Implosion Singles Out OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush

The report indicates that the data of the acoustic sensors and the stress gauges on board indicated that the hull had suffered a divesting after a dive at the Titanic in 2022, causing a big blow. Rush would have rejected this noise, and the report noted that there was no longer in the company in 2023 which was able to adequately interpret the data of the sensor. The company’s engineering director left two months before implosion.

“Power has been consolidated in Mr. Rush,” says Neubauer. “There was no standard defined for the strength of a noise or the number of noises that would make you get out of the service. I think it was intentional. They did not want to withdraw it from the service at the end. ”

The report contains many recommendations that increase the federal surveillance of the submersibles operated by American companies. They should also be certified with third -party organizations, such as the Lloyd register or the American Bureau of Shipping, even if they worked in international waters like the Titan. This practically excludes the construction of a hull from carbon fiber, because none of these organizations has classified a carbon fiber crew to date. “It does not seem to be the right material because of the way in which he undergoes cumulative damage over time,” explains Neubauer.

Tony Nissen, director of Oceangate engineering, questions the general criticism of the report on the carbon fiber hull and its acoustic monitoring system. He notes that problems with the Titan’s first hull have been identified, in part, using the acoustic sensors, which led him to be abandoned and replaced. “The design was not inadequate. For anyone to say that the design was inadequate, they should approach the analysis of the original manufacturer and the success of the first hull, “he said. “Real -time surveillance has worked as designed and wanted, but for the second hull, they ignored it.”

“We congratulate the American Coast Guard for his in -depth work to confirm what industry experts have long experienced the tragedy of the Titan – he was avoidable,” explains Will Kohnen, executive director of the non -profit world organization. “The challenge is now to move forward, to build a better national and international regulatory framework for submersible operations, so that security and responsible governance are the standard in this unique and complex industry.”

The Coast Guard report also addresses problems with the response to research and rescue after the disappearance of the Titan. Neubauer says that some of the organizations listed as an emergency contacts of Oceangate were not aware of the Titan diving plans, and that the company should have had a distance robotic vehicle (ROV) capable of diving at the same depth as the submersible.

Although the world has been on hooked tents during four -day research and rescue efforts for the Titan, Neubauer is skeptical about what it may have succeeded.

“Even if we finally found the submersible in the 96-hour window that was announced, I don’t think we could have recovered the submarine or people if they had survived, and it was tangled below,” he said. The ROV which placed the debris had only a minimum capacity to move or release the Titan, especially since it would have had less than an hour of oxygen remaining.

The Coast Guard report notes that if Rush had survived, it may have been the subject of criminal proceedings for negligence. He does not identify anyone else as investigation subjects. However, Wired reported last year that the South New York district was pursuing a criminal investigation into Oceangate, perhaps linked to its funding. The Ministry of Justice has not confirmed this investigation and its current status is uncertain.

The parents of Nargeolet continue Oceangate, the succession of Rush and other people involved in the manufacture of the Titan in the state of Washington. The survivors of Rush, Nargeolet and paid passengers did not respond to requests for comments.

Oceangate provided the following declaration: “We are once again offering our deepest condolences to the families of those who died on June 18, 2023 and to all the people affected by the tragedy. After the tragedy, the company definitively completed its operations and directed its resources entirely to cooperate with the coast guard’s investigation thanks to its completion. ”