Years ago, a tourist submersible vanished and was ultimately lost during an expedition to explore the Titanic shipwreck. The Coast Guard described it as a “catastrophic implosion.” However, even before this tragic incident, red flags regarding safety issues had been raised about the company behind the vessel.
OceanGate, a privately held company that charged $250,000 per person for the Titanic voyage, boasted about its innovative use of materials and cutting-edge technology in developing small submersibles. Unfortunately, the five passengers on board the missing sub did not survive.
Before the sub’s disappearance, lawsuits and industry experts had expressed serious safety concerns about OceanGate’s project. In 2018, a professional trade group warned that the company’s experimental design approach could lead to catastrophic outcomes. This information was revealed in a letter obtained by CBS News.
In the same year, an OceanGate employee raised safety concerns about the Titan’s design and the company’s protocol for testing the hull’s reliability. This employee, David Lochridge, was subsequently fired by OceanGate after reporting his concerns to regulators and the company’s management. OceanGate then sued Lochridge for breach of contract.
In response to OceanGate’s lawsuit, Lochridge filed a countersuit, expressing his concerns about the Titan’s safety in a court document from 2018.
Lochridge claimed that he believed the company was putting passengers at potential extreme danger with their experimental submersible. His allegations were documented in the legal filing.
In February, OceanGate’s CEO, Stockton Rush, was sued by a couple from Florida who struggled to receive a refund for their canceled trips on the Titan. The couple stated that OceanGate canceled one expedition because they hadn’t certified the Titan’s ability to reach the depths of the Titanic. Another trip was canceled due to equipment failure.
Attorneys representing the couple have not yet commented on the matter.
OceanGate has not responded to requests for comment regarding the lawsuits and allegations. Lochridge’s attorney declined to comment on his allegations and expressed hope for everyone’s safe return.
Certification Issues
One of the red flags concerning the Titan was its lack of certification. A letter from the Marine Technology Society in 2018 pointed out that OceanGate’s marketing materials claimed the Titan’s design would meet or exceed the DNV-GL certification. However, it was noted that OceanGate did not intend to follow the DNV-GL class rules, which is considered the gold standard for marine equipment.
According to the Marine Technology Society, OceanGate’s representations regarding certification would mislead the public and breach the industry-wide professional code of conduct.
Information about the Titan on OceanGate’s website does not mention whether the vessel received DNV certification.
“Refused to Pay”
Certification and testing were also focal points in Lochridge’s countersuit. He disputed OceanGate’s claims that he breached his employment contract by filing a whistleblower complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Lochridge revealed that the viewport on the submersible was only certified for a pressure of 1,300 meters, despite the Titan being designed to reach depths of 4,000 meters. He urged OceanGate to use an agency like the American Bureau of Shipping to inspect and certify the Titan.
Lochridge’s filing alleges that OceanGate refused to pay for a viewport that would meet the required depth, and instead fired him for raising concerns. On the other hand, OceanGate’s lawsuit against Lochridge emphasizes that he was not an engineer and questioned his reliability.
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