The U.S. Coast Guard says it remains focused on the search for debris of the Titan submersible and has yet to launch an official investigation into the vessel’s disappearance and implosion. This comes as questions arise about its safety.
Authorities confirmed Thursday the submersible suffered a catastrophic implosion near the wreckage of the Titanic, killing all five on board.
Responders have rushed equipment to where remains of the Titan were found. Five major fragments of the 6.7-meter Titan were located in the debris field left from its disintegration, including the vessel's tail cone and two sections of the pressure hull, Coast Guard officials said. No mention was made of whether human remains were sighted.
On Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard said an official investigation has not yet begun because agencies involved were focused on the search and still determining who has the appropriate authority and jurisdiction, according to The Associated Press.
Authorities are looking into whether the investigation would be a joint effort or whether it should be carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard, Canadian Coast Guard or international agencies, the report said.
U.S.-based OceanGate Expeditions, which owned and operated the Titan submersible, said in a statement the five people on the vessel were company CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
Since the submersible went missing with an approximately four-day air supply questions about its safety have grown.
“I know there are also a lot of questions about how, why and when did this happen,” said Rear Admiral John Mauger of the First Coast Guard District. “Those are questions we will collect as much information as we can about now.”
According to an Associated Press report, David Lochridge, a former OceanGate director of marine operations, raised questions in 2018 about the methods the company used to ensure the structural viability of the hull.
Filmmaker James Cameron, who directed the 1997 Academy Award-winning film “Titanic” and has made several dives to the ocean liner’s wreckage aboard other deep-sea submersibles, said in an interview with the BBC that he was sure an “extreme catastrophic event” had happened when he heard the submersible had lost communication and navigation.
“For me, there was no doubt,” he said.
Cameron told the BBC the news about the air supply and underwater noises was a “prolonged and nightmarish charade” to provide false hope to the families of the passengers. Cameron said that once a remotely operated vehicle reached the depth of the vessel, it was likely to be found “within hours … probably within minutes.”
Arthur Loibl, a passenger on the Titan two years ago, described his trip to the Titanic as a “kamikaze operation.” The retired German businessman said, “Imagine a metal tube a few meters long with a sheet of metal for a floor. You can’t stand. You can’t kneel. Everyone is sitting close to or on top of each other.”
Scientist and journalist Michael Guillen, who survived an expedition in 2000 that ran into some challenges, said, "We need to stop, pause and ask this question, why do you want to go to the Titanic and how do you get there safely?"
The Titanic was a British ocean liner that sank in the Atlantic Ocean in 1912 with more than 2,200 passengers and crew after striking an iceberg.
Some information is from The Associated Press and Reuters.
