The US Coast Guard has recently announced it convened a Marine Board of Investigation to probe the implosion
Officials conducting the investigation into the Titan submersible incident are expected to analyze voice recordings and other data obtained from its mothership, the Polar Prince.
The purpose of this analysis is to understand the events that took place during the voyage and determine if any criminal activity occurred. The submersible embarked on its journey on Sunday, June 18, but communication with the Polar Prince was lost approximately one hour and 45 minutes into the descent.
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) visited the Polar Prince on Saturday, June 24, “to collect information from the vessel’s voyage data recorder and other vessel systems that contain useful information”. TSB Chairwoman Kathy Fox emphasized that the investigation’s objective is not to assign blame but rather to gather valuable information. The voice recordings, in particular, “could be useful in our investigation.”
Authorities, led by Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superintendent Kent Osmond, are currently assessing whether the Titan submersible incident warrants a criminal investigation. Superintendent Osmond stated “Such an investigation will proceed only if our examination of the circumstances indicate criminal, federal or provincial laws may possibly have been broken”.
According to OceanGate, the Titan was a 23,000-pound submersible constructed using carbon fiber and titanium. The vessel was equipped with a “proprietary real-time hull health monitoring (RTM) system”, which continuously monitored the condition of the hull. In the event of any issues, the system would send an “early warning” to the pilot, allowing “enough time to … safely return to the surface.”
Unfortunately, the submersible experienced a catastrophic implosion, resulting in its sudden collapse underwater. Tragically, all five passengers on board, including OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, French diver Paul Henry Nargeolet, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, lost their lives in the incident.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is commencing an investigation into the implosion of the Titan submersible. Additionally, the National Transportation Safety Board has announced that the US Coast Guard will take the lead in investigating the incident.
