OceanGate has suspended all of its exploration and commercial operations after the Titan Submersible implosion in June, according to its website.
“OceanGate has suspended all exploration and commercial operations,” the site reads. OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush was among the five passengers aboard the Titan Submersible that imploded while on a dive to the Titanic.
The submersible departed off the coast of St. John’s, Newfoundland, June 18 but lost contact with the mothership less than two hours after it began its descent in search of the Titanic wreckage. The imploded Titan debris was found days later near the infamous shipwreck.
Questions about the safety of the submersible were raised not only in the immediate aftermath but for years before the doomed mission. At least some of the sub’s electrical systems were allegedly designed by interns.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 22: Rear Adm. John Mauger, the First Coast Guard District commander, gives an update on the search efforts for five people aboard a missing submersible approximately 900 miles off Cape Cod, on June 22, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. Remnants believed to be of the Titan submersible were found approximately 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic on the sea floor, according to the US Coast Guard, and all five occupants are believed to be dead. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Rush made comments in 2019 about “obscenely safe” regulations in the commercial sub industry. Rush argued the allegedly strict rules prevented innovation. Marine Technology Society member Bart Kemper said Rush was likely able to dodge some regulations by deploying the sub in international waters where U.S. laws aren’t applicable, according to Insider. (RELATED: Glue Holding Together The Doomed Titan Submersible Was Like ‘Peanut Butter,’ CEO Said)
Meanwhile, David Lochridge, OceanGate’s former director of marine operations, warned the company in 2018 there was a “lack of non-destructive testing performed on the hull of the Titan,” according to the New York Post. Lochridge later sued the company after alleging he was wrongfully terminated for raising the concerns.