Place for investigations. One week after the Titan submersible went missing while en route to the Titanic wreck site, multiple questions are being raised about what caused the vehicle to implode, which killed all five people on board. What is the origin of the drama? Are the materials used in question? How to avoid such an accident in the future? What legal action could be taken?
To answer these questions, there will not be a single and unique investigation. Because the implosion of the Titan occurred in international waters, aboard a ship belonging to a private company, and caused the death of people of different nationalities: English, Pakistani, French and American. Owner, OceanGate Expeditionsit is also established in the United States but the submersible was registered in the Bahamas.
International cooperation
Consequence: several countries are also involved in the investigation. In Canada, the Transport Safety Board (TSB) has begun to investigate “the fatal event involving the Polar Prince ship,” the Canadian ship from which the small tourist submersible departed, announced its president Kathy Fox. She does not comment on any responsibility civil or criminal.
Therefore, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) opened a second, separate preliminary investigation to find out whether “federal or provincial criminal laws may have been violated” and therefore whether it is necessary or not a criminal investigation.
The US Coast Guard, heavily mobilized during the rescue phase, is also conducting an investigation, in conjunction with the US Transportation Security Agency (TSA).
“My main objective is to prevent a similar event by making the necessary recommendations to improve the security of the maritime sector worldwide,” Jason Neubauer, chief investigator for the United States Coast Guard, said during a press conference on Sunday.
US investigators also announced on Sunday that France’s Maritime Accident Investigation Bureau (BEA mer) will be involved in this investigative work, also in collaboration with the UK’s Maritime Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB).
first interrogations
“There is no black box, so you will not be able to follow the latest movements of the vehicle itself, but otherwise the investigation process is no different from that of an air accident,” he details. with bbc Ryan Ramsey, former submarine captain in the British Royal Navy.
This Saturday, Canadian TSB investigators were already on board the Polar Prince in Saint-Jean-de-Terre-Neuve, reports Radio Canada, to begin questioning the 17 crew and 24 other people on board, including relatives of the victims. .
A TSB team “examines the scene of the event and the remains, interviews the witnesses and collects all the relevant information,” Kathy Fox explained.
The investigation aims to establish potential safety-related issues on the ship. Audio recordings and other systems from the ship were seized.
Debris collection and analysis
But the researchers’ priority is to recover the remains of the vehicle at the bottom of the ocean. An initial collection of evidence is underway, including “debris at the scene of the incident,” Jason Neubauer explained. This is to map the location of the accident.
Last Thursday, debris was located near the wreckage of the Titanic. “The debris field itself tells a story. The placement of the pieces, the distance between them, the direction they line up…” Underwater Company CEO Tom Maddox told CBC News Forensic Investigators, whose goal is to recreate the accident. scenes
The same remote-controlled vehicle that found the wreckage last week, the Odysseus 6K, is continuing its search and also providing video images and sensor readouts. Then another vehicle will bring the discovered debris, too heavy for the first.
The pieces brought to the surface will then be examined by the researchers. Each piece will be closely scrutinized under a microscope, focusing on the direction of the carbon fiber filaments, looking for a clue that might pinpoint exactly where the break occurred and why.
A challenged design
According to the Coast Guard, the Titan imploded from the pressure during descent, killing all five passengers instantly. The investigation must revolve around the submersible itself and its unconventional design, particularly due to the combination of carbon fiber and titanium used, pointed out by several specialists.
In addition, most of these types of boats must be approved, that is, an external body must inspect them to verify that they meet certain standards, but this was not the case with this vehicle. The company explained that this was because it was an experimental vessel and so innovative that current evaluation methods were not suitable.
“Maybe it’s good if it’s an exploration ship that pushes the boundaries of research,” Professor David Andrews of University College London told the BBC. “But as soon as you start making money carrying passengers, you start to frown.”
18 to 24 months
The president of the Canadian TSB indicated that an investigation of this type could normally last between 18 and 24 months, adding, however, that it will try to “go faster, because we know that everyone wants answers, particularly the families.”
However, the inhospitable underwater depths, the pressure, the weather conditions and the strong currents are factors that complicate the task… Not to mention the almost zero visibility at the bottom of the ocean. Here, only sonar technology can be used for search bot navigation.
Coast Guard chief of investigation Jason Neubauer said a search for the victims was still on the agenda, despite the slim chance of finding the bodies.
Source: BFM TV
