Titan sub hearings live: OceanGate co-founder had said ‘no-one is dying under my watch’ before tragic submersible implosion
Roy Thomas, a senior principal engineer with the American Bureau of Shipping, is currently speaking
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OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein was the first to testify before the US Coast Guard on Monday. He offered insight into the business but told investigators he’s not sure if the public will ever know what led to the tragedy.
Sohnlein and Stockton Rush founded the company in 2009, who was among the five people who died when the submersible imploded in June 2023.
The former CEO left the company in 2013 but after the submersible’s implosion, he has defended his former business partner. He told investigators he wants the world to honor his friends by continuing deep-sea exploration.
Roy Thomas, a senior principal engineer with the American Bureau of Shipping, is currently speaking. Former OceanGate engineering director Phil Brooks will speak later today.
Last week, several speakers said they raised concerns to Rush about the Titan vessel’s design and lack of classification. Rush called classification “an impediment to innovation” and once told an employee getting inside the submersible is “one of the safest things I will ever do.”
He added: “No-one is dying under my watch -period.”
If the Titan submersible had been classified, ABS engineers would’ve needed to clear it after issues
Following the incident in which the Titan’s dome fell off and a customer heard a “loud banging” noise, an engineer for the ABS would’ve conducted extensive tests to ensure the vessel was safe had it been classified.
The Titan submersible was not classified by the agency.
Carbon fiber hulls are susceptible to ‘deformation’ Thomas states
The engineer from the American Bureau of Shipping has prepared a slideshow presentation from the panel detailing the challenges of carbon fiber materials.
He’s said carbon fiber is not an approved material for classification. Additionally, the Titan’s hull would have been susceptible to “deformation under applied external loading.”
Currently, there are no recognized national/international standards for carbon fiber pressure hulls for submersibles.
Stockton Rush once said ‘No-one is dying under my watch -period'
A transcript of a meeting between Rush and the former director of marine operations for OceanGate, David Lochridge was made public by ahead of the Coast Guard’s hearing on Monday.
The discussion captures Rush stating “No-one is dying under my watch - period,” after Lochridge raised safety concerns.
Rush responded: “I have no desire to die... I think this is one of the safest things I will ever do.”
Carbon fiber composites are not included in the list of ABS approved materials
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush infamously made the Titan’s pressure hull from carbon fiber but the material is not approved by the ABS for classification. Some of the concerns with carbon fiber included its ability to fail after repeated dives.
Additionally, it’s susceptible to damage, which can also cause it to fail.
ABS affiliation with OceanGate
Thomas says OceanGate was not involved with the ABS, never requested classification and did not submit a design review or surveys.
What is the process for classifying submersibles?
To qualify for classification with the American Bureau of Shipping, submersible owners must:
1. Establish and maintain recognized technical standards
2. Check that the design of the submersible is in compliance with the standards
3. Certify material and equipment that will be incorporated into the vessel complies with standards
4. Ensure vessel is in compliance with ABS standards throughout lifetime
Roy Thomas says OceanGate never reached out to the American Bureau of Shipping about classification
A senior principal engineer with the American Bureau of Shipping has been sworn in as a witness.
Roy Thomas to be next witness
A senior principal engineer with the American Bureau of Shipping is scheduled to speak next. The agency is one of the few in the country that classify deep sea submersibles.
‘This was not supposed to happen’ Sohnlein says during closing statements
“This was not supposed to happen,” Sohnlein says during his closing remarks. “Five people should not have lost their lives.”
Despite the efforts of the investigating panel, the former OceanGate CEO says he’s not sure the public will ever know want led to the tragedy.
Still, he’d like the memories of those who died to be preserved by continuing deep ocean exploration.
“Someday in the near future, we’ll look back on this time as a major turning point in human history when the general public took an active interest in our efforts to explore the deep ocean,” he says. “If that happens, then that’s probably the most fitting tribute for the memories of these five individuals.”
‘I don’t know what the right way is to regulate this kind of activity,’ says Sohnlein
After a Coast Guard official asks Sohnlein what he believes is the best way is to regulate submersibles, the co-founder says the topic is not in his “wheelhouse.”
He said dedicating resources to developing new regulations would be a “waste of taxpayer money” because there isn’t a current need. The submersible field is not an “industry,” Sohnlein said, adding there is currently at most 100 submersibles in the world.
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