By Canadian Press

‘Experimental with no oversight:’ Experts had concerns about OceanGate sub for years

Jun 21, 2023 | 11:42 AM

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Two engineers behind a 2018 effort to flag concerns about the submersible missing in the North Atlantic say the vessel has not had the design and safety scrutiny typical in their industry.

William Kohnen, president and CEO of the California-based engineering firm Hydrospace Group, says it’s hard to know what went wrong on the Titan submersible because the vessel isn’t classed.

He said in an interview that classification involves a recognized third-party agency reviewing a craft’s design and construction to ensure it has been tested properly and is safe.

He says classification is not required by law, but the Titan’s disappearance on its descent to the Titanic wreck on Sunday may increase pressure to change that.

A group of engineers wrote a 2018 letter addressed to OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, first obtained by The New York Times, warning that the company’s “experimental” approach to the vessel could have “catastrophic” consequences.

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In a 2019 blog post addressing why Titan was not classed, OceanGate said the classing process can inhibit innovation and does not address piloting errors, which it said are the cause of most marine accidents.

Bart Kemper, principal engineer with Kemper Engineering Services in Louisiana, described the Titan’s development process as “experimental with no oversight.”

He says the vessel’s disappearance about 700 kilometres off the southeastern coast of Newfoundland Sunday is “horrible.”

“These are literally the things that keep us up at night because we don’t want to be responsible for one of these stories. We take this seriously,” he said of his subsea engineering colleagues. “It’s heartbreaking.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2023.

The Canadian Press