Implosion of Titanic sub which killed Scots uni student was 'preventable'

The implosion of a submersible, which killed a Strathclyde University student, was preventable, according to a Coastguard report.

Suleman Dawood, 19, had just completed his first year at the Glasgow-based university’s business school when he boarded the Titan vessel with his dad Shahzada Dawood.

The vessel lost communication with tour operators in June 2023 around 435 miles south of St John’s, Newfoundland, during a voyage to the Titanic shipwreck off the coast of Canada.

Five people were on board at the time, including British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding and OceanGate founder Stockton Rush.

The US Coast Guard investigation concluded that the negligence exhibited by Rush “contributed to the deaths of four individuals,” and the chief executive may have been accused of “misconduct or neglect of ship officers” had he survived the incident.

Billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding was also on board.
Blue Origin

The offence carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison in the US.

The report said OceanGate had a “toxic workplace environment” and used the “looming threat of being fired” to prevent staff from coming forward with safety concerns.

It added that analysis revealed a “disturbing pattern of misrepresentation and reckless disregard for safety”.

The tour operators’ design and testing processes were criticised in the 300-page report.

Oceangate’s continued use of the Titan submersible despite “a series of incidents that compromised the integrity of the hull and other critical components” was also slammed.

The tour operator’s former director of engineering was reported by the US Coast Guard to have said the first hull used on the Titan submersible was akin to a “high school project”.

According to the report, a contractor hired by OceanGate in 2022 voiced “numerous safety concerns” to a company director, before being told: “You have a bad attitude, you don’t have an explorer mindset, you know, we’re innovative and we’re cowboys, and a lot of people can’t handle that.”

The report read: “For several years preceding the incident, OceanGate leveraged intimidation tactics, allowances for scientific operations, and the company’s favourable reputation to evade regulatory scrutiny.

“By strategically creating and exploiting regulatory confusion and oversight challenges, OceanGate was ultimately able to operate Titan completely outside of the established deep-sea protocols, which had historically contributed to a strong safety record for commercial submersibles.

The Titan submersible imploded during the expedition. OceanGate Expeditions

“The lack of both third-party oversight and experienced OceanGate employees on staff during their 2023 Titan operations allowed OceanGate’s chief executive officer to completely ignore vital inspections, data analyses, and preventative maintenance procedures, culminating in a catastrophic event.”

Addressing potential criminality, the report said: “Had OceanGate’s CEO and chief pilot survived the incident, the MBI (Marine Board of Investigation) would have recommended that the commandant refer the matter to DoJ (Department of Justice) for their consideration on whether to pursue a separate criminal investigation.

“The MBI concluded that Mr Rush, in his dual role as CEO and as the acting master or pilot of the Titan submersible, exhibited negligence that contributed to the deaths of four individuals.

“As both a corporate executive responsible for the vessel’s operation and its master during the casualty, Mr Rush may have been subject to criminal liability under the standards set forth in 18 USC § 1115 (misconduct or neglect of ship officers).”

The surviving family of British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada and his son Suleman, released a statement following the report calling for tighter regulation in the industry.

In it they said: “No report can alter the heartbreaking outcome, nor fill the immeasurable void left by two cherished members of our family.

“We believe that accountability and regulatory change must follow such a catastrophic failure.”

They go on to hope the investigation’s conclusion will lead to “meaningful reform, rigorous safety standards, and effective oversight” in the submersible industry.

“If Shahzada and Suleman’s legacy can be a catalyst for regulatory change that helps prevent such a loss from ever happening again, it will bring us some measure of peace,” they finish.