NTSB Report Reveals Engineering Failures Led to Fatal Titan Submersible Implosion

All five individuals aboard the Titan submersible perished in the tragic incident. (File)

New Delhi:

According to an official investigation, the catastrophic implosion of OceanGate's Titan submersible during its journey to the Titanic wreckage in June 2023 resulted from engineering deficiencies and insufficient testing procedures.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report concluded that the engineering methodology employed in the submersible's construction was "inadequate," creating critical flaws that compromised the vessel's structural integrity and durability requirements.

"Defective engineering resulted in the construction of a carbon fibre composite pressure vessel that contained multiple anomalies and failed to meet necessary strength and durability requirements," the NTSB stated in their findings.

The Titan's passengers included OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, British explorer Hamish Harding, French underwater expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, along with Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood. Each passenger had paid $250,000 to participate in the expedition, and all five lost their lives in the implosion.

The report indicated that had OceanGate implemented standard emergency response protocols, the Titan could have been located earlier than it was.

Additionally, the NTSB highlighted concerning aspects of OceanGate's organizational culture, referencing a former operations technician who had raised warnings about potential Coast Guard regulatory issues before the disaster. This technician specifically questioned the practice of designating passengers as "mission specialists."

In response to these concerns, the CEO reportedly stated that "if the Coast Guard became a problem... he would buy himself a congressman and make it go away."

The NTSB's findings follow an earlier Coast Guard report that characterized the implosion as "preventable" and criticized the company's safety procedures.

Following the Coast Guard's investigation, Jason Neubauer of the Marine Board of Investigation emphasized, "There is a need for stronger oversight and clear options for operators who are exploring new concepts outside of the existing regulatory framework."