The American company OceanGate is ceasing its activities until further notice. Its future is now uncertain since the loss of the Titan submarine, which resulted in the death of 5 people.
It is by a short message, enthroned at the very top of its site, that the company OceanGate communicated its decision: all its activities are suspended until further notice. This includes commercial operations to sell places in its submarines, as well as exploration missions in the depths of the oceans.
This message, discovered on July 6, 2023, comes two weeks after the discovery of debris near the wreck of the Titanic, and linked to the private submersible OceanGate – nicknamed Titan. Missing since June 18, he encountered a catastrophic implosion during his descent to the remains of the famous ocean liner. All its occupants are dead.
OceanGate did not detail the reasons for its decision. But the destruction of its small bathyscaphe, lost on July 18 (a particular acoustic signature had been detected by the American navy), and the loss of the five occupants, including the founder of the underwater exploration company, could be fatal to the purpose of the company.
Titan submarine quality controversy
Currently, an investigation is underway by the American authorities so that the precise causes of the tragedy can be elucidated, in order to understand the exact sequence of events and draw useful lessons for the entire sector. The design of the Titan, in particular, will come under intense scrutiny, as the craft has been the subject of controversy for years.
The submersible was experimental and had not passed any particular certification. A former OceanGate employee had repeatedly alerted management to problems around the submarine, before being fired. Other specialists in the underwater environment had also warned OceanGate after its refusal to submit to an evaluation procedure.
The porthole has been called into question: it would not have been certified to descend beyond 1,300 m, while the Titanic rests at 3,800 m. The use of carbon has also been pointed out to make the hull of the submersible. Even without any particular flaws, it’s not cut out for that kind of effort — in this case, withstanding enormous pressure from all sides.
The use of an ordinary inexpensive controller to control the bathyscaphe in such an extreme environment was also debated, as was the attitude of the company’s boss, Stockton Rush, who was on board the mission on the day of the tragedy. Comments reported by the press since the accident painted the portrait of a reckless and self-confident man.
The conclusions of the investigation could take months. The disappearance of the Titan had mobilized significant rescue resources, in particular American, Canadian and French, to try to locate it at the bottom of the water. An effort that turned out to be in vain, because the submersible had imploded from the start. The seabed is still today very little explored.
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