Titan submersible implosion: US Coast Guard blames OceanGate for 2023 tragedy

The US Coast Guard, in its final report on the 2023 Titan submarine implosion, has blamed safety failures by the OceanGate company for the sensational accident in which five occupants were crushed to death. The report identified the company's "failure to follow established engineering protocols for safety, testing, and maintenance" as the "primary causal factor" for the disaster.

All five occupants of the submarine, who were on their way into the ocean to view the Titanic wreckage, died as the commercial vessel imploded because of the pressure of the water.

The report said that the submarine's sudden implosion was triggered by the loss of structural integrity. All those inside the vessel were subjected to 4,930 pounds per square inch of water pressure and died instantaneously.

CEO Stockton Rush, who died onboard the Titan submersible, ignored vital inspections, data analyses, and preventive maintenance procedures, the report, analyzed by the BBC, said.

Investigators wrote in the report that the carbon fibre-made design of the submarine was flawed and that the company had ignored signs of problems that had surfaced in the previous month.

The report also found that OceanGate was a "toxic workplace which used firings of senior staff members and the looming threat of being fired to dissuade employees and contractors from expressing safety concerns".

The company was also facing financial pressures. OceanGate employees were asked totemporarily forgo salarieswith the promise of back pay.

The investigators found that the Titan submersible was made of carbon fibre, which is a strong material but hadn't been proven safe for deep diving. It is known to be unreliable under pressure.

The craft had completed 13 dives to the Titanic in the past two years before the tragedy. However, the company kept using the submersible without checking its hull.