The U.S. Coast Guard has revealed the results of their investigation into the June 2023 implosion of the OceanGate Titan deep-sea submersible.
The report, released Tuesday, found OceanGate had “critically flawed” safety practices. Investigators noted “glaring disparities between their written safety protocols and their actual practices." The company also had a “toxic workplace environment,” which included firing staff to dissuade employees from raising safety concerns, the report says.
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who died in the implosion, “exhibited negligence” that led to the tragic accident, investigators say. The CEO went on to “completely ignore” critical inspections, data and preventative maintenance procedures.
Rush could have been “subject to criminal liability” after investigators say they "identified evidence of a potential criminal offense.”
The report confirmed the cause of the submersible’s implosion was a “loss of structural integrity” in the hull. This led to the “instantaneous” death of all five people on board.
The Titan submersible imploded while Rush and his four passengers were on a dive to see the wreckage of the Titanic. The other four passengers killed in the implosion were businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48; his son, Suleman Dawood, 19; businessman Hamish Harding, 58; and explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77.
Key points
- U.S. Coast Guard releases report on OceanGate Titan submersible
- OceanGate CEO could have faced 'criminal liability'
- OceanGate had 'critically flawed' safety practices
- Victims' family calls for 'accountability' and 'change' in wake of report
Breaking: U.S. Coast Guard releases report on OceanGate Titan submersible
14:21 , Katie HawkinsonThe U.S. Coast Guard has published the results of their investigation into the June 2023 implosion of the OceanGate Titan deep-sea submersible.
Investigators found evidence of negligence and a toxic work culture, the report says.
Isabel Keane has the full story:
OceanGate CEO ‘completely ignored’ flawed Titan sub before deadly trip, report finds
OceanGate had 'critically flawed' safety practices
14:27 , Katie HawkinsonOceanGate’s safety culture and operational practices were “critically flawed” leading up to the implosion, U.S. Coast Guard investigators revealed.
The core of this issue was “glaring disparities between their written safety protocols and their actual practices,” the report says.
These issues contributed to the deadly 2023 implosion.
OceanGate had a 'toxic workplace environment' leading up to implosion
14:34 , Katie HawkinsonOceanGate fostered a “toxic workplace environment,” investigators found.
This included leaders firing senior staff members and threatening to fire others in an attempt to “dissuade employees and contractors from expressing safety concerns,” the report says.
Several employees told investigators the workplace was toxic, including the operations director and the director of marine operations.
OceanGate CEO could have faced 'criminal liability'
14:41 , Katie HawkinsonOceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who was killed in the June 2023 implosion, “exhibited negligence” that contributed to the deaths of his passengers, the report says.
Investigators say they “identified evidence of a potential criminal offense,” and Rush could have been “subject to criminal liability.”
OceanGate’s “lack of both third-party oversight and experienced OceanGate employees” allowed Rush to “completely ignore” key inspections, data and preventative maintenance procedures, the report says.
OceanGate's design and testing processes had key issues, report reveals
14:47 , Katie HawkinsonInvestigators identified key issues within OceanGate’s design and testing processes that led to the deadly 2023 Titan submersible implosion.
These issues included processes that didn’t address “the fundamental engineering principles” needed to operate in “an inherently hazardous environment.”
The company also did not properly analyze the “expected cycle-life of Titan’s hull.”
The company also continued to use the Titan submersible after “a series of incidents that compromised the integrity of the hull and other critical components,” investigators said.
The report confirmed the cause of the submersible’s implosion was a “loss of structural integrity” in the hull. This led to the “instantaneous” death of all five people on board.
OceanGate whistleblower's complaint wasn't subject to 'timely' investigation, report says
14:55 , Katie HawkinsonThere was not a “timely” investigation into concerns raised by an OceanGate whistleblower in 2018, the report says.
Investigators found that there was an “absence of a timely Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation” into the complaints made by the whistleblower.
This was combined with a “lack of effective communication and coordination” between OSHA and the U.S. Coast Guard about the Seaman’s Protection Act, which protects whistleblowers from retaliation.
“Early intervention may have resulted in OceanGate pursuing regulatory compliance or abandoning their plans for TITANIC expeditions,” the report says.
Implosion resulted in 'instantaneous death'
15:04 , Katie HawkinsonThe Titan submersible implosion was a “preventable tragedy” caused by the “sudden catastrophic implosion” of the hull, the report says.
Those on board were crushed by “4,930 pounds per square inch of water pressure,” which resulted in “instantaneous death.”
Those killed were CEO Stockton Rush; businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48; his son, Suleman Dawood, 19; businessman Hamish Harding, 58; and explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77.
Victims' family calls for 'accountability' and 'change' in wake of report
15:10 , Katie HawkinsonThe family of Titan submersible passengers Shahzada Dawood and Suleman Dawood have called for “accountability” and “change” after the release of the U.S. Coast Guard’s report.
"No report can alter the heartbreaking outcome, nor fill the immeasurable void left by two cherished members of our family," the family said in a statement, according to the BBC.
“We believe that accountability and regulatory change must follow such a catastrophic failure," the family added.
Shahzada was a 48-year-old businessman. His son, Suleman, was 19.
"If Shahzada and Suleman’s legacy can be a catalyst for regulatory change that helps prevent such a loss from ever happening again, it will bring us some measure of peace,” the family said.
OceanGate faced 'financial pressures' leading up to implosion
15:17 , Katie HawkinsonOceanGate faced “financial pressures” ahead of the June 2023 Titan submersible explosion.
Investigators interviewed witnesses who said this instability resulted in high employee turnover rates. Many full-time staff members were also replaced by contractors and volunteers, the report says.
"The company was economically very stressed and as a result, [they] were makingdecisions that compromised safety,” a former OceanGate employee told investigators.
By the year of the deadly implosion, OceanGate had even asked employees to “temporarily forgo their salaries” with promises of future repayment, investigators say.
OceanGate CEO misrepresented his Titan sub as 'indestructible,' investigators say
15:33 , Katie HawkinsonOceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who was one of five people killed in the 2023 implosion, “sustained efforts to misrepresent” the Titan submersible as “indestructible,” the report says.
As a result, Rush “provided a false sense of safety for passengers and regulators,” the report says.
OceanGate tried to qualify its pilots in a single day, report says
15:38 , Katie HawkinsonOceanGate tried to “qualify pilots in a single day, even for individuals who had never operated a submersible,” the report says.
A former OceanGate Operations Director told investigators this was a “huge red flag.”
This suggests OceanGate’s pilot training was “insufficient for ensuring the safety of both pilots and passengers,” the report says.
OceanGate labeled paying passengers as mission specialists: report
15:49 , Katie HawkinsonOceanGate sought to conceal that their “mission specialists” on board were “actually paying passengers,” the report reveals.
The company described mission specialists as “integral members of TITAN’s expedition team” and said they participated in “scientific tasks,” investigators say.
“However, despite OceanGate’s description, many mission specialists did not participate inany expedition assignments and conducted little to no scientific tasks,” the report says.
OceanGate CEO's wife heard Titan's implosion, video revealed
16:05 , Katie HawkinsonA haunting video released in May revealed that OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush’s wife listened live as the Titan submersible imploded in June 2023.
The U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday the implosion was caused by a “loss of structural integrity” in the hull, which led to the “instantaneous” death of all five people on board.
Watch here:
Haunting moment Oceangate CEO’s wife hears Titan submersible implode
OceanGate 'dismissed' and 'overruled' Mission Director, report says
16:12 , Katie HawkinsonOceanGate’s leaders often dismissed the company’s Mission Director, who was responsible for monitoring and directing dives, according to the U.S. Coast Guard’s report.
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush “cultivated anenvironment” in which the Mission Director was often “dismissed, diminished, or overruled,” leading to “numerous hazardous situations during OceanGate’s dive excursions,” the report says.
OceanGate sought to 'evade regulatory scrutiny'
16:19 , Katie HawkinsonOceanGate sought to “evade regulatory scrutiny” for years preceding the June 2023 Titan implosion, the U.S. Coast Guard report says.
The company did this by leveraging “intimidation tactics, allowances for scientific operations, and the company’s favorable reputation,” the report says.
Coverage paused
16:42 , Katie HawkinsonToday’s live coverage of the U.S. Coast Guard’s final report on the 2023 implosion of OceanGate’s Titan submersible is now paused.
