Deep-sea exploration industry evaluates prevention measures after the Titan submersible accident, deemed preventable by the Coast Guard
The tragic implosion of the Titan submersible in 2023, which claimed the lives of all five crew members including OceanGate's founder and CEO, Stockton Rush, has sparked a wave of change in the submersible industry. The US Coast Guard's Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) has released a comprehensive report detailing the causes of the disaster and providing recommendations to improve safety and oversight.
The report, spanning over 300 pages, highlights a series of glaring issues with the Titan submersible and its operator, OceanGate. The primary contributing factors were found to be the company's inadequate design, certification, maintenance, and inspection processes. The MBI has issued 17 key recommendations aimed at preventing future disasters.
These recommendations focus on mandatory notifications, strengthened oversight of designs and operations, improved federal and commercial rescue coordination, whistleblower protections, and safety-first innovation regulation. The board emphasized the need for regular hull integrity monitoring and actionable responses to any anomalies detected.
One of the key recommendations is the pursuit of a new regulation requiring all submersibles in the US to be built and maintained under uniform standards. This is in response to the lack of comprehensive and effective regulations for the oversight and operation of submersibles designed or operated in the US.
The need for international cooperation in regulations is also highlighted, given that submersibles travel across international boundaries. William Kohnen, a witness in last year's hearings on the Titan submersible, and the president and CEO of HYRDOSPACE Group Inc, believes that building relationships between different facets of the industry and maritime authorities is crucial for potential life-saving conversations.
Kohnen, who wrote a letter to Stockton Rush five years before the disaster expressing concerns about the safety of the Titan submersible, compares the need for comprehensive regulation in the submersible industry to the creation of freeways. Rules are needed to keep standards high and prevent accidents.
The report also sheds light on the "toxic workplace culture" at OceanGate, instigated by Stockton Rush's centralized management style and his deliberate avoidance of checks and balances. Kohnen feels that the public still wouldn't understand the experimental nature of the Titan submersible, despite changes made to OceanGate's website.
As the industry reflects on the importance of a standard across the board following the Titan submersible's implosion over two years ago, Kohnen emphasizes the importance of having a standard across the submersible industry to avoid issues that seem simple but are difficult to sort out. The annual industry conference, to be held in an international location for the first time, aims to encourage international cooperation in regulations.
The final actions based on these recommendations are currently under review by the Coast Guard Commandant. The submersible industry is on the brink of a foundational overhaul, shifting from minimal scrutiny towards a focus on safety and regulatory practices to protect lives in subsea tourism, scientific research, and commercial operations.
[1] US Coast Guard Press Release [2] MBI Report [3] CNN Article [4] Washington Post Article
- In light of the tragic Titan submersible incident, the US Coast Guard's Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) has highlighted the need for international cooperation in regulations, emphasizing the importance of standardizing practices across the submersible industry to improve safety and oversight, as outlined in their comprehensive report [2].
- As the submersible industry undergoes a major overhaul, focusing on implementing stricter safety and regulatory measures following the Titan submersible's implosion [1], prominent figures such as William Kohnen, the president and CEO of HYRDOSPACE Group Inc, call for a new regulation requiring all submersibles in the US to be built and maintained under uniform standards, as detailed in the MBI Report [2].
