A fatal incident involving an experimental submersible that claimed the lives of five individuals en route to the Titanic wreckage was attributed to faulty engineering, according to a report released by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Wednesday.
The NTSB’s final report on the Titan submersible’s hull failure and subsequent implosion in June 2023 highlighted that inadequate engineering of the vessel, specifically a carbon fiber composite pressure vessel with structural anomalies, led to its inability to meet essential strength and durability standards. The report also pointed out that OceanGate, the company owning the Titan, neglected proper testing of the vessel and lacked awareness of its actual durability.
Furthermore, the report mentioned that if OceanGate had adhered to standard emergency response procedures, the Titan wreckage could have been located earlier, potentially saving time and resources despite the unfortunate inability to rescue individuals in this tragic event.
The NTSB report aligns with a previous assessment by the U.S. Coast Guard in August, labeling the implosion of the Titan as preventable due to significant safety protocol deficiencies at OceanGate. Following the incident, OceanGate ceased operations in July 2023. Despite requests for comments remaining unanswered, the company expressed condolences to the victims’ families after the coast guard’s critical findings.
The NTSB report recommended that the coast guard establish a panel of experts to study submersibles and pressure vehicles designed for human occupancy. Additionally, it urged the Coast Guard to introduce regulations for such vehicles based on the outcomes of the study and to share these findings with the industry, which has seen a surge in privately funded exploration ventures in recent years.
The Titan submersible had been conducting expeditions to the Titanic site since 2021, with its final journey ending tragically on June 18, 2023, when it lost contact with its support vessel. Despite extensive search efforts in the north Atlantic waters off Canada, it became evident that there were no survivors, prompting thorough investigations by authorities into the circumstances surrounding the incident.