A US Coast Guard investigation report has alleged that operators of the Titan submersible, which sank near the wreckage of the Titanic, “used intimidation tactics… to avoid regulatory oversight.”
The incident in June 2023 left five people dead, including British tourist Hamish Harding and father and son Shahzad and Suleiman Dawood.
Also killed in the incident were OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush and French citizen Paul-Henri Narjol.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Coast Guard released a 335-page report identifying eight “key factors” that led to the fatal explosion.
The report highlighted a “toxic work environment” at OceanGate, with the “threat of dismissal” used to suppress staff safety concerns.
It also said the analysis revealed “an alarming trend of misrepresentation and reckless disregard for safety regulations.”
Criticism was leveled at the design and testing methods of OceanGate, as well as the continued operation of the Titan submersible despite “a number of incidents that threatened the integrity of the hull and other critical components.”
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, a former company engineer said the first hull used for the Titan submersible looked like a “high school project.”
According to the report, a contractor hired by OceanGate in 2022 raised “numerous safety concerns” with the company’s director, who responded: “You have a bad attitude, you don’t have an exploratory mindset. We are innovators, we are cowboys, and many people can’t do that.”
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
