OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who died on the deep-see submersible alongside four others, ignored critical data leading up to the vessel’s implosion in June 2023, according to a new report from the U.S. Coast Guard.
The 335-page report, released Tuesday, revealed that OceanGate had “critically flawed” safety practices and a toxic workplace culture — and that Rush’s “negligence” contributed to the deaths of those on board.
Rush, who acted as the Titan sub’s pilot, “exhibited negligence that contributed to the deaths of four individuals,” the report found. It also “identified evidence of a potential criminal offense.” Had Rush survived, the Coast Guard would have recommended that the Department of Justice consider pursuing a separate criminal investigation.
How the company was run allowed Rush to “completely ignore” critical data and other safety measures ahead of the doomed expedition to the Titanic’s ruins.
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush said he knew he was breaking rules with the Titan’s design but wanted to forge ahead in the name of innovation. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters; Getty Images
“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,” the report says.
The report detailed eight primary causal factors that led to the sub’s implosion. They are:
- OceanGate’s design and testing processes didn’t address “the fundamental engineering principles” needed for operations in “an inherently hazardous environment.”
- OceanGate did not analyze to understand the expected cycle life of the sub’s hull.
- The company relied too heavily on a real-time monitoring system of the sub’s condition, but failed to meaningfully examine the data the system provided.
- OceanGate continued to use the Titan following incidents that “compromised the integrity of the hull and other critical components.”
- The Titan’s carbon fibre construction led to issues that weakened its overall structural integrity.
- The company failed to investigate the sub after “mishaps that negatively impacted its hull and components during dives” before the implosion.
- OceanGate’s “toxic workplace environment,” which utilized firings or senior staff members and the looming threat of being fired to keep employees from sharing safety concerns.
- The company’s failure to conduct “preventative maintenance” on the sub’s hull or protect it from elements during the off-season ahead of the doomed 2023 expedition.
The report also noted that the company’s written safety protocols were vastly different from their actual practices.
In addition to Rush, those killed in the implosion included French explorer and Titanic expert Paul Henri Nargeolet, British businessman Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman.