The search for the missing OceanGate submersible which gripped the nation over the past week ended in tragedy when it was confirmed that the vehicle imploded roughly two hours after its descent to view the Titanic, killing all five crew members onboard.
As questions and criticism continue to arise regarding how the tragic implosion occurred, officials on both sides of the North Atlantic have questions of their own regarding how and who should lead the investigation.
After the vessel lost contact with its mothership hours after its descent into the North Atlantic, a frantic search ensued involving navy and military support from countries including the U.S., Canada, and France. Late last week, a debris field at the bottom of the North Atlantic roughly 1,600 ft away from the Titanic shipwreck confirmed that the submersible had imploded under the immense pressure of the ocean.
On Sunday, American officials announced that the U.S. Coast Guard would be investigating the cause of the submersible’s implosion. The day before that announcement, Canada's Transportation Safety Board announced it would be pursuing its own investigation into the implosion. It's not yet clear if other countries will conduct investigations of their own or join in on current efforts.
OceanGate Expeditions, which owned and operated the Titan submersible, was based in the U.S. However, the submersible was registered in the Bahamas. The company, which was based out of Everett, Washington, has since shut down operations following the implosion. The mothership that helped with the operation of launching the Titan, the Polar Prince, is based out of Canada while its crew members range from countries including England, France, Pakistan, and the US.
Jim Hall, the former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board under the Clinton administration, criticizes the NTSB’s move to investigate the submersible’s implosion. In an interview with NewsNation, Hall explains, “Well, I think it's going to highlight the lack of safety oversight in the maritime area worldwide and it’s certainly a waste of U.S. taxpayer dollars to lead an investigation into something that you already described should not have happened in the first place. So if there is an investigation it needs to focus on what needs to be done.”
Captain Jason Neubauer, the Coast Guard's chief investigator, shared during a press conference in Boston, "My primary goal is to prevent a similar occurrence by making the necessary recommendations to enhance the safety of the maritime domain worldwide."
Neubauer added that the Coast Guard would be participating in the marine board investigation and would be working alongside the FBI to recover evidence including debris from the submersible off the North Atlantic ocean floor.
Neubauer explains that findings from the investigation will be shared with the International Maritime Organization and other organizations "to help improve the safety framework for submersible operations worldwide."
The crew members who perished included the Titan’s creator and operator Stockton Rush, renounced French oceanographer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, and British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman0. As their families continue to grapple with the loss of their loved ones, it's not yet clear what if any criminal or civil actions could result from this maritime catastrophe.
Despite a detailed waiver outlining potential outcomes of diving in what essentially was an experimental sub, the deep ocean exploration community, along with industry experts and experienced explorers including famed Titanic director James Cameron, have highlighted critical safety oversights on the part of Titan founder Stockton Rush. Any criminal or civil cases that might arise will likely not do so until a thorough investigation into the submersible’s implosion finalizes — a process that may very well take years to conclude.
