Probe blames operator for Titanic sub disaster
WASHINGTON: Multiple failures to follow standard safety protocol led to the deadly implosion of a private submersible visiting the Titanic wreckage in 2023, according to a final report published on Tuesday.
The US Coast Guard investigation outlined a litany of issues with operator OceanGate’s conduct, as well as design flaws in its Titan submersible, that contributed to a “preventable tragedy” in which all five passengers were killed.
The 335-page report said “OceanGate’s failure to follow established engineering protocols for safety, testing, and maintenance of their submersible, was the primary causal factor” for the implosion. OceanGate chief executive Stockton Rush was joined on the doomed expedition by British explorer Hamish Harding, French deep-sea explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani-British tycoon Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman.
Seats on the submersible cost $250,000 per person.
Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2025