What caused the Titan to implode? Right now, it’s not even clear who will lead the investigati#news
Channel: YoutubeNews
Date: 2023-06-24

-What caused the Titan to implode? Right now, it’s not even clear who will lead the investigation

A day after revelations that the Titan submersible imploded, officials searched the ocean floor for evidence and grappled Friday with vexing questions about who is responsible for investigating the international disaster.

A formal inquiry has not yet been launched because maritime agencies are still busy searching the area where the vessel was destroyed, the U.S. Coast Guard said Friday. Debris was located about 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) underwater near the Titanic wreckage it was on its way to explore. The U.S. Coast Guard led the initial search and rescue mission.

“I know there are also a lot of questions about how, why and when did this happen. Those are questions we will collect as much information as we can about now,” Rear Adm. John Mauger of the First Coast Guard District said Thursday.

It was not entirely clear Friday who would have the authority to lead what is sure to be a complex investigation involving several countries. OceanGate Expeditions, the company that owned and operated the Titan, is based in the U.S., but the submersible was registered in the Bahamas. OceanGate is based in Everett, Washington, but closed when the Titan was found. Meanwhile, the Titan’s mother ship, the Polar Prince, is from Canada, and the people on board the submersible were from England, Pakistan, France, and the U.S.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the U.S. Coast Guard has declared the loss of the Titan to be a “major marine casualty” and the Coast Guard will lead the investigation. NTSB spokesperson Peter Knudson said that information was provided to the agency’s senior management by Coast Guard officials, and the NTSB has joined the investigation.
The Coast Guard has not confirmed that it will lead the investigation. Coast Guard headquarters said the Coast Guard First District in Boston will discuss future operations and plans, but did not say when. The First District did not respond to phone and email messages seeking comment.

Meanwhile, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said it was launching an investigation into the Polar Prince, the Titan’s mother ship and support vessel. Seventeen crew members and 24 others were on board the ship during the Titan’s journey.
How the overall investigation of the tragedy will proceed is complicated by the fact that the world of deep-sea exploration is not well-regulated. Such expeditions are scrutinized less than the companies that launch people into space, noted Salvatore Mercogliano, a history professor at Campbell University in North Carolina who focuses on maritime history and policy.

The Titan was not registered as a U.S. vessel or with international agencies that regulate safety. And it wasn’t classified by a maritime industry group that sets standards on matters such as hull construction.

OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who was piloting the Titan when it imploded, complained in the past that regulations can stifle progress.

“Bringing an outside entity up to speed on every innovation before it is put into real-world testing is anathema to rapid innovation,” Rush wrote in a blog post on his company’s website.
Bob Ballard, a member of the research team that found the Titanic wreck in 1985, called the lack of certification by outside experts “the smoking gun” in the implosion.

“We’ve made thousands and thousands and thousands of dives ... to these depths and have never had an incident,” Ballard said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

“The smoking gun is that this is the first time by a submarine that wasn’t classed,” he said.
Article from ➡️ ➡️ ៖ https://apnews.com/article/missing-titanic-submersible-updates-93a59c3c1d48aee2feef46caca418fd1
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