The world has held its collective breath this week as search and rescue teams continue to look for the missing submersible that was visiting the wreckage of the Titanic.
In the days since its disappearance, more information has come out about the submersible Titan, and the company that operates it, OceanGate Expeditions. Reports have alleged that the vessel was equipped with experimental equipment and even piloted with a $20 gaming controller, raising concerns about safety standards.
KNX In Depth’s Charles Feldman and Rob Archer spoke with Sal Mercogliano, a professor of maritime history at Campbell University in North Carolina, about the “catastrophic” problems with that missing submersible.
“The submersible was custom-built for these expeditions down to Titanic,” Mercogliano said. “It’s been doing it now for two years. This is the third season they’ve been in operation.”
What Mercogliano says is different about Titan is that it’s a submersible and not a submarine, meaning it isn’t built to stay underwater for long periods of time like a submarine.
While many have questioned why it’s taken so long to find the missing vessel, Mercogliano shared that deep-water communications are extremely difficult.
“It’s not like a cell phone service where you can just call. It involves a very unique thing,” Mercogliano said. “Most of the communication they did was by text message. It was through a computer sending it down.
“This submersible had a very limited area of operation. It needed contact with the parent ship to be able to hone in on Titanic. So, anytime you lose communication, you basically get into an abort mode.”
Mercogliano shared that the American Bureau of Shipping has standards for submersibles like Titan to ensure they meet all necessary safety standards and inspect their vessels for any flaws.
What’s worrying is that Mercogliano shared that not everything was done up to those standards.
“In this case, OceanGate decided not to do that, and the CEO basically came out and said, ‘These classification agencies are redundant. They slow us down. There’s too much red tape. We are on the cutting edge, and we are going to be better than they are,’” Mercogliano said, adding that they didn’t have to receive classifications because they operated in international waters.
The search continues for the missing vessel, and Mercogliano says that the company will be examined afterwards, with officials looking into why classifications were not met for Titan.
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