Titan implosion that killed 5 on way to Titanic was ‘preventable,’ Coast Guard says

OceanGate: Footage of Titan sub wreckage revealed

The first footage showing the wreckage of OceanGate Expeditions' Titan submersible has been released since the vessel?s implosion last year. The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) unveiled the video during a public hearing in North Charleston, South Carolina. The footage, captured by a remotely operated vehicle, shows the results of the catastrophic implosion of the 22-foot submersible on June 18, 2023, resulting in the tragic loss of all five people aboard. LiveNOW's Andrew Craft spoke about the hearing with maritime expert Sal Mercogliano.

The Coast Guard released its report this week on the Titan submersible disaster that killed five people on the way to the Titanic wreckage.

The agency found the implosion was "preventable."

Titan submersible implosion

FILE - A decal on a piece of equipment which reads "Titan" is pictured near a trailer with the OceanGate logo at OceanGate Expedition's headqurters in the Port of Everett Boat Yard in Everett, Washington, on June 22, 2023. (Photo by Jason Redmond/AFP

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The backstory:

The Coast Guard convened its highest level of investigation in the aftermath of the 2023 implosion off Canada. The disappearance of the Titan led to a search that grabbed worldwide attention.

READ MORE: Chilling audio of Titan submersible implosion released

Coast Guard findings

Big picture view:

The report found the company's safety procedures were "critically flawed," noting that the core of the failures inside the company came down to "glaring disparities" between their safety protocols and actual practices.

Investigators also found that the submersible’s design, certification, maintenance and inspection process were all inadequate.

The submersible disaster has led to lawsuits and calls for tighter regulation of the developing private deep sea expedition industry.

READ MORE: Titan submersible crew experienced 'terror and mental anguish' before death, lawsuit claims

What's next:

Jason Neubauer, with the Marine Board of Investigation, said that the findings will help prevent future tragedies.

What they're saying:

"There is a need for stronger oversight and clear options for operators who are exploring new concepts outside of the existing regulatory framework," he said in a statement.

OceanGate workplace claims

OceanGate Titan safety concerns

An international group of agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, is investigating why the Titanic tourist submersible imploded, killing five people. Victor Vescovo, a Dallas businessman and submersible pilot who was friends with two of the victims onboard the OceanGate Titan, said he declined a previous invitation aboard the submersible, citing safety concerns. "Unfortunately, this operator, OceanGate, had a design and operating procedures that many of us were extremely concerned about and even warned people not to participate in their expeditions," Vescovo said. More LiveNOW from FOX streaming video

Dig deeper:

The Coast Guard also investigated the culture and operations of OceanGate. 

A Coast Guard statement said OceanGate had a "toxic workplace culture," and its mission was hindered by lack of domestic and international framework for submersible operations.

Numerous OceanGate employees have come forward in the two years since the implosion to support that claim.

The report alleges that for several years preceding the Titan’s explosion, OceanGate "leveraged intimidation tactics, allowances for scientific operations, and the company’s favorable 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," the report found.

The operator of the submersible, OceanGate head Stockton Rush, was among the five on board who died.