Canada starts looking into the submersible explosion

The British ocean liner Titanic sank in the North Atlantic in 1912 after colliding with an iceberg, and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada has launched an investigation into the implosion of the Titan, the underwater sea vessel that imploded with five people onboard as it was traveling there.

The U.S.-based company OceanGate Expeditions owned the submersible boat. Polar Prince, a support vessel for it, is a Canadian-flagged vessel.

In a statement released on Friday, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) raised concerns about the expedition’s safety by announcing that it was “launching an investigation into the fatal occurrence involving the Canadian-flagged vessel Polar Prince and the privately operated submersible Titan.” The board said that a team of investigators had been dispatched to St. John’s, Newfoundland, to gather data and speak with people.

According to American officials, they are also starting a probe.

The Titan submersible’s loss has been classified as a major maritime casualty, and the U.S. Coast Guard will oversee the investigation. The NTSB has taken part in the inquiry and will support their work. The US National Transportation Safety Board stated in a tweet on Friday that the USCG is managing any media questions regarding this inquiry.

An hour and 45 minutes into its descent on Sunday, the Polar Prince lost touch with the Titan.

Responders hurriedly transported equipment to the site of the Titan’s wreckage. The 6.7-meter Titan’s tail cone and two pieces of its pressure hull were among five significant pieces discovered in the Titan’s wreckage, according to U.S. Coast Guard officials. There was no indication of whether or not any human remains were found.

According to a statement from OceanGate Expeditions, the five individuals on board were Stockton Rush, CEO of the firm, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

Questions about the submersible’s safety have grown since it vanished with a four-day air supply.

Rear Admiral John Mauger of the First Coast Guard District said, “I know there are also a lot of questions about how, why, and when did this happen.” We will now gather as much information as we can regarding those questions.

David Lochridge, a former OceanGate director of marine operations, reportedly questioned the company’s procedures for guaranteeing the structural integrity of the hull in 2018.

Director of the 1997 Academy Award-winning film Titanic and frequent diver to the ocean liner’s wreckage, James Cameron, told the BBC in an interview that when he learned the submersible had lost communication and navigation, he was certain a “extreme catastrophic event” had occurred.

There was no question in his mind, he said.

According to him, the reports regarding the air supply and underwater noises were a “prolonged and nightmarish charade” to give the victims’ families false hope. According to Cameron, a remotely piloted vehicle would presumably be discovered “within hours… probably within minutes” once it reached the depth of the vessel.

Two years ago, Arthur Loibl, a passenger aboard the Titan, called his journey to the Titanic a “kamikaze operation.” “Consider a metal tube that is a few meters long with a sheet of metal for a floor,” the retired German businessman remarked. You cannot endure. Not even close. Everybody is seated next to or on top of one another.

Michael Guillen, a scientist and journalist who survived a difficult voyage in 2000, said, “We need to stop, pause, and ask this question, why do you want to go to the Titanic, and how do you get there safely?”

Reuters and The Associated Press both contributed some information.