OceanGate CEO is 'to blame' for the titan submersible disaster, according to a new report.
The US Coast Guard has released a damning report concluding that OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush bears primary responsibility for the catastrophic Titan submersible implosion.
In June 2023, the deadly expedition to the Titanic wreckage claimed the lives of five people after a structural failure.
During the deep-sea dive, the submersible's carbon fibre hull exposed passengers to 'approximately 4,930 pounds per square inch of water pressure,' the 335-page report revealed.
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All five occupants died instantaneously when the vessel collapsed and imploded under immense ocean pressure.
Investigators found that CEO Rush not only ignored repeated safety warnings but actively threatened employees and contractors who raised concerns about the experimental vessel's dangers.
Officials determined this tragedy was entirely 'preventable.'
Coast Guard's Marine Board of Investigation spent two years examining the disaster, including a comprehensive two-week hearing that revealed extensive safety failures at OceanGate Expeditions.
Officials single out Rush, who died in the implosion along with four passengers, for creating a 'false sense of safety and security' through deliberate misrepresentation of Titan's capabilities.
The report also found Rush 'exhibited negligence that contributed to the deaths of four individuals.'
"A false sense of safety and security was created by Mr. Rush through his misrepresentation of the TITAN's safety, achieved by falsely claiming substantial safety margins, misleading mission specialists regarding testing procedures, and exaggerating the number of hull test dives for the final TITAN hull," the report said.
Additionally, officials uncovered 'critically flawed' safety practices throughout OceanGate Expeditions. Company operations which included a 'toxic workplace environment' and 'intimidation tactics' used for years to silence safety concerns.
Had Rush survived this disaster, Coast Guard investigators would have recommended manslaughter charges to the Department of Justice, the report said.
"This marine casualty and the loss of five lives was preventable," said Jason Neubauer, Titan MBI chair. "The two-year investigation has identified multiple contributing factors that led to this tragedy, providing valuable lessons learned to prevent a future occurrence."
He added: "There is a need for stronger oversight and clear options for operators who are exploring new concepts outside of the existing regulatory framework."
Neubauer is 'optimistic' that the report findings 'will help improve awareness of the risks and the importance of proper oversight while still providing a pathway for innovation.'
Meanwhile, family members of two victims acknowledged that while investigators answered many questions about what went wrong, 'no report can alter the heart-breaking outcome' of losing their loved ones.