US and Canadian authorities are turning their attention to investigations into what led to the “catastrophic implosion” of the Titan submersible, which killed all five people on board.
The investigation is now at an early stage and there is no word on when it might end and, according to the AFP news agency, it could last anywhere from 18 months to two years.
CNN International account that the priority of the researchers is, at this moment, to recover the remains of the Titan. To do this, they work with a robot that explores the bottom of the sea in search of the remains of the submersible.
This robot is the same remote-controlled vehicle that found the first remains of Titan last week. According to the company Pelagic Research Services, the capabilities of the Odysseus 6K “were and continue to be used” in the Titan recovery mission.
Five pieces of the submersible were found in different locations on Thursday morning, at a depth of 3,800 meters. Remotely operated vehicle missions are expected to continue for another week.
All the pieces of the submersible that are found will be examined later so that the authorities understand what were the causes of the implosion of the Titan.
The United States Coast Guard created a marine research council. The investigator-chief of the US Coast Guard, Jason Neubauer, wants to “avoid similar occurrences”, so that, in addition to determining the cause of the implosion and the deaths, the investigation also intends to “make the necessary recommendations to increase security in the maritime domain All over the world”.
Neubauer also assures that investigators will take “every precaution” if human remains are discovered and recommendations for civil or criminal sanctions will be made “if necessary.”
Canadian authorities, also tasked with investigating the incident, are analyzing voice recordings from the submersible’s support vessel, the Polar Prince.
On Saturday, Canadian researchers boarded the Polar Prince to “gather information from the ship’s voyage data recorder and other systems that may be useful,” said Kathy Fox, president of Canada’s Transportation Safety Council.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police will assess whether “federal or provincial criminal law has been violated.”
Once all the evidence has been collected, investigators will hold a formal hearing to obtain witness statements.
The Titanic submersible, owned by OceanGate, was reported missing on June 18 after losing communication with the support ship Polar Prince approximately one hour and 45 minutes after embarking on an expedition to visit the wreckage of the Titanic, nearly four kilometers deep and 600 km off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
After several days of search and rescue operations, carried out jointly by US, Canadian, British and French authorities, the US Coast Guard confirmed that the debris field found last Thursday belonged to the submersible. Authorities confirmed that all five people aboard the Titan died in a “catastrophic implosion.”
Since the start of the raids, information has begun to be published implicating OceanGate and pointing to alleged negligence in the safety of underwater tourism teams.
The “Titanic” sank on its maiden voyage in 1912 after hitting an iceberg, killing 1,500 passengers and crew.
Since the discovery of the wreckage of the “Titanic” in 1985, scientists, treasure hunters and tourists have visited the site.
Source: TSF
