Today marks the third anniversary of the loss of the Titan, a private submersible that imploded while on its descent to the wreck of the Titanic with five people on board.
The TSB released its report on the disaster yesterday, outlining a complete lack of oversight in relation to the expedition.
Regional Senior Investigator with the TSB, and lead investigator on the report, Jason Melvin says initial concerns about OceanGate’s submersible were raised as early as 2021.
(A photo of the Titan’s tail cone on the ocean floor after the sub imploded in June, 2023.)
He cites a “lack of communication, and the lack of knowledge by Transport Canada, even though there was other government departments that had knowledge that the vessel was diving in Canadian waters. There was even a DFO employee who raised some concerns back in 2021 as to the design and construction of the submersible and not being actually designed to any standard. It was brough to his management, but it wasn’t elevated any further.”
Larry Daley who operates a Titanic exhibit in the capital city and who has provided logistics for numerous Titanic expeditions lost his friend, respected French navigator Paul-Henri Nargeolet in the disaster.
Larry Daley (VOCM News file photo)
He’s not surprised by the TSB’s findings, despite the fact that many different agencies were aware of OceanGate’s plans.
He says Stockton Rush of OceanGate, who also perished in the implosion, appeared to have eschewed the usual regulatory channels.
“We’ve had numerous operations out of St. John’s Harbour for years with submersibles, all very safe and successful with equipment that was proven, tested and certified. In this case, nothing was certified, he (Rush) avoided people that were questioning his platform, his safety, and his design. So I’m not surprised that the agencies all didn’t come together because they were probably never given proper information, or full information, so, why would they all overlap?”
