US Coast Guard begins public hearing on the implosion of the Titan submersible

(CNN) — The US Coast Guard on Monday began a multiday hearing to examine the loss of the Titan – the ill-fated submersible authorities said imploded in the North Atlantic Ocean in June 2023, killing all five people aboard during a dive to the wreckage of the Titanic.

The public hearing is being conducted by the Marine Board of Investigation convened within days of the submersible’s disappearance. The MBI – the highest level of inquiry by the Coast Guard – was tasked with reviewing the cause of the tragedy and offering recommendations, including about potential civil penalties and criminal prosecution .

“Over the past 15 months, our team has worked continuously in close coordination with multiple federal agencies, international partners and industry experts to uncover the facts surrounding this incident,” Jason Neubauer, the chair of the Marine Board of Investigation, said in a news conference Sunday.

“The upcoming hearings will allow us to present our findings and hear directly from key witnesses and subject matter experts in a transparent forum,” said Neubauer, adding the proceedings “are a critical step in our mission to understand the contributing factors that led to the incident and, even more importantly, the actions needed to prevent a similar occurrence.”

The submersible lost contact with its mother ship about an hour and 45 minutes into its dive to the Titanic on June 18, 2023. When it failed to resurface, an international search and rescue mission unfolded in the remote waters several hundred miles southeast of Newfoundland, Canada.

Ultimately, authorities concluded the vessel had suffered a “catastrophic implosion” – a sudden inward collapse caused by immense pressure. Debris from the submersible was found on the sea floor several hundred yards from the Titanic, and authorities recovered “presumed human remains” believed to belong to the victims.

Stockton Rush, the founder and CEO of the vessel’s operator; businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman Dawood; businessman Hamish Harding; and French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet were also killed.

The Coast Guard previously said the hearing would include “pre-accident historical events, regulatory compliance, crew member duties and qualifications, mechanical and structural systems, emergency response and the submersible industry.”

A list of witnesses includes a slate of one-time employees of OceanGate Expeditions , the Everett, Washington-based company that operated the 23,000-pound vessel, charging about $250,000 per ticket. The company has faced questions about its operations amid reports of safety concerns.

Counsel for the company are present at the hearing and will be able to cross-examine witnesses, Neubauer said in his opening statement. On Monday, Jane Shvets, one of the company’s attorneys, offered its condolences to the families of those who died.

“There are no words to ease the loss endured by the families impacted by this tragic incident,” she said, “but we hope that this hearing will help shed light on the cause of the tragedy and prevent anything like this from happening again.”

The MBI is made up of numerous Coast Guard officials and at least two from the National Transportation Safety Board, according to a list provided by the Coast Guard. Other anticipated witnesses include regulatory officials, search and rescue specialists, experts on deep sea exploration and engineers from NASA and Boeing.

While the chief aim of the hearing is to “uncover the facts surrounding the incident,” Neubauer acknowledged the board is also tasked with identifying “misconduct or negligence by credential mariners.”

“And if there’s any detection of a criminal act, we would make a recommendation to the Department of Justice,” he said.

The Marine Board of Investigation is the highest level of Coast Guard inquiry: Approximately one MBI hearing is convened each year, Neubauer said, adding, “out of thousands of investigations conducted, less than one rise to this level.”

The hearing will be held in North Charleston, South Carolina, and is expected to take place over nine days between Monday and Friday, September 27. It will be streamed live on the Coast Guard’s YouTube page .

When the investigation is complete, the US Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board will each conduct an independent analysis and complete reports, Neubauer said Sunday. He cautioned additional hearings could be held in the future, and he would not provide an estimated timeline for the conclusion of the investigation.

The-CNN-Wire

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