“This marine casualty and the loss of five lives was preventable,” said Jason Neubauer, Chairman of the MBI. The report delivers a scathing assessment of OceanGate’s operational decisions, stating the company repeatedly prioritied profits and mission success over safety. Investigators found the company’s safety procedures critically flawed, with internal practices deviating dangerously from established engineering norms and industry standards.
Ignored Warnings, Flawed Design
The MBI found that OceanGate ignored multiple safety warnings, both from external industry experts and internal staff. The submersible’s design, certification, maintenance, and inspection protocols were deemed inadequate for its deep-sea missions.
“Glaring disparities existed between safety procedures on paper and actual field operations,” the Coast Guard said.
The report also cited OceanGate’s CEO, Stockton Rush, who perished in the implosion, for misleading passengers and regulators by promoting the Titan as indestructible and in compliance with advanced engineering standards, without verified testing or certification.
In addition to technical failures, the report highlights a toxic workplace culture that stifled internal dissent and discouraged whistleblowers. The Coast Guard criticised both OceanGate and US regulatory agencies, calling the incident a missed opportunity for early intervention.
The report referenced a 2018 whistleblower who had raised concerns about Titan’s safety and suggested that inadequate coordination between the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Coast Guard may have played a role in failing to act.
“Early intervention may have resulted in OceanGate pursuing regulatory compliance or abandoning their plans for Titanic expeditions,” the report said.
Chairman Neubauer said the tragedy should serve as a “blueprint” for future oversight of private submersible operations. He called for clearer regulations and stronger oversight, especially as companies increasingly explore uncharted engineering concepts.
Since the disaster, OceanGate has faced multiple lawsuits, and public pressure has mounted for the US government and international bodies to tighten regulations on private deep-sea exploration ventures. Several former employees have since come forward to corroborate claims of negligence and dysfunction within the company.