Titan sub: US Coast Guard investigates cause of implosion
June 26, 2023
The US Coast Guard said on Sunday that it is cooperating with other international agencies to investigate the cause of the implosion of the Titan submersible.
The vessel imploded on its way to tour the wreckage of the Titanic in the North Atlantic. All five people on board died in the accident.
The announcement comes one day after Canada's Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating the incident.
The French marine casualties investigation board and the United Kingdom Marine Accident Investigation Branch are also working closely with US and Canadian authorities on the probe.
The Polar Prince, the Titan's mother ship, hailed from Canada. The individuals who lost their lives were from England, Pakistan, France, and the US.
On Thursday, the US Coast Guard announced that debris from the submersible had been found 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the Titanic.
What did the Coast Guard say about the investigation?
Chief investigator Jason Neubauer said salvage operations from the sea floor are ongoing. He said that the accident site has been mapped.
"The focus of the investigation is on the recovery of objects from the seabed," he said.
Neubauer said that this constituted the highest level of investigation conducted by the US Coast Guard.
"My primary goal is to prevent a similar occurrence by making the necessary recommendations to advance the safety of the maritime domain worldwide," Neubauer said.
Neubauer said that the findings will be shared with the International Maritime Organization and other groups in order to "help improve the safety framework for submersible operations worldwide."
He said that investigators are in contact with the families of the five people who were aboard the Titan and that investigators were "taking all precautions on site if we are to encounter any human remains."
Navy not using salvage system for Titan
Also on Sunday, the US Navy said that it would not be using the Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System to retrieve the Titan vessel.
The Navy would only use the system if there were pieces large enough to require the use of specialized equipment.
"Efforts are focused on helping map the debris field in preparation for recovery efforts and to support investigative actions. Efforts to mobilize equipment such as the Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System have been discontinued," an unnamed Navy official was cited by the Associated Press as saying.
The Titan was not registered in the US or with international agencies that oversee safety regulations. It was registered in the Bahamas. It also wasn't classified by a maritime industry group that sets standards on matters such as hull construction.
Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate and the pilot at the helm during the implosion of the Titan, had expressed concerns about how regulations hinder innovation.
sdi, ss/wd (AP, Reuters, dpa)