On June 18, 2023, OceanGate’s Titan submersible imploded while heading to the wreckage of the Titanic. All five on board died.
A year later, investigators say that finding answers to what happened is “complex” and will take longer than anticipated.
In a statement on Friday, the US Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigations, or MBI, said it was continuing to actively investigate the factors that led to the implosion.
However, the statement acknowledged that the original 12-month timeline for the investigation had not been met.
In an email to BI, a Coast Guard spokesperson said the investigation is still in the fact-finding phase, where the agency is “gathering all relevant evidence and information.”
The MBI said that the reasons for the delay included the need to contract two salvage missions to secure evidence and the extensive forensic testing being carried out.
“The investigation into the implosion of the Titan submersible is a complex and ongoing effort,” said the MBI’s chair, Jason Neubauer, in the statement.
Neubauer added: “We are working closely with our domestic and international partners to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the incident.”
The US Coast Guard convened the MBI into the submersible’s loss last year to determine the cause and whether any misconduct was involved.
It was also set up to investigate whether evidence indicated any criminal acts and to decide if new laws or regulations were needed.
“The MBI is committed to ensuring that we fully understand the factors that led to this tragedy in order to prevent similar occurrences in the future,” Neubauer said.
On June 22, 2023, the Coast Guard concluded that the missing submersible had likely imploded, attributing it to a “catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber” on the seafloor.
Investigators found major pieces of debris, and months later, the Coast Guard said it recovered “presumed human remains.”
Among the dead was Stockton Rush, CEO of the now-defunct OceanGate.
A June 2023 memorandum convening the MBI stipulated that if the 12-month deadline for the investigative report could not be met, a written explanation for the delay and a new expected completion date should be provided.
However, the Coast Guard spokesperson told BI that there is currently no projected completion date.
They added that the latter part of the fact-finding phase would include a public hearing, for which the MBI would provide at least 60 days’ notice.
The Titan implosion raised concerns about deep-sea exploration in general.
Despite this, billionaire Larry Connor told The Wall Street Journal in May that he and Patrick Lahey, the CEO of Titan Submarines, plan to travel down to the Titanic wreck site to prove it can be done safely.
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