Voice recordings under scrutiny in Titanic sub implosion investigation

Voice recordings between the Titan and its mothership Polar Prince will be reviewed by investigators

Voice recordings and other data will be reviewed as part of a US Coast Guard-appointed expert board’s probe into the catastrophic implosion of the Titan submersible last week.

American and Canadian marine authorities have announced investigations into the circumstances that led to the vessel’s malfunction after its chambers were found in a sea of debris 1,600ft from the wreck of the Titanic.

US Coast Guard Captain Jason Neubauer, who is chairing the investigation, said during a press conference on Sunday that he has summoned a Marine Board of Investigation, the highest level of investigation conducted by the Coast Guard. The board’s role is to determine the cause of the tragedy in order to pursue civil or criminal sanctions as necessary.

Voice recordings between the Titan and its mothership Polar Prince will be reviewed by investigators. The mothership’s crew is also being interviewed by different agencies.

Investigators with the Coast Guard have mapped the accident site and salvage operations are expected to continue, Cpt Jason Neubauer said. Once the investigation is wrapped — a timeline has not been laid out — a report with evidence, conclusions and recommendations will be released.

“I’m not getting into the details of the recovery operations but we are taking all precautions on site if we are to encounter any human remains,” Cpt Neubauer told reporters. “At this time a priority of the investigation is to recover items from the sea floor.”

Coast Guard investigators are working along with the US National Transportation Safety Board, as well as the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, the French Marine Casualties Investigation Board and the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch.

The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) boarded the Polar Prince over the weekend to conduct interviews after the vessel returned to its port in St John’s in Newfoundland with its flags at half-mast. The TSB said the of investigators had been deployed to St John’s to “gather information, conduct interviews and assess the occurrence”.

Capt. Jason Neubauer, chief investigator, US Coast, right, speaks with the media along with US.Coast Guard Rear Adm. John MaUGER (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The TSB’s chair, Kathy Fox, said that the crew was interviewed to “collect information from the vessel’s voyage data recorder and other vessel systems that contain useful information,” according to CNN.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Coast Guard said one of its vessels would remain on the scene and would “provide assistance and support to the recovery and salvage operations as requested by Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Boston”.

Several safety concerns about the Titan have emerged in the aftermath of the tragedy. A lawsuit filed by a former OceanGate employee in 2018 and obtained by The New Republic listed “visible flaws” with the vessel that were reportedly ignored by senior management.

Submarine experts had also signed a letter expressing “unanimous concern” with the company’s decision not to seek outside evaluation and testing before bringing passengers down to the Titanic. The Independent has contacted OceanGate for comment on the allegations.

Crew members of the Polar Prince prepare to dock the ship as it arrives at the Coast Guard wharf in on Saturday, June 24, 2023 in St. John's, Newfoundland (AP)

Officials from the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada board the Polar Prince, the main support ship for the Titan submersible (PA)

A 2019 post on OceanGate’s website stated that the Titan was not classed by major marine operations because those certifications “do not ensure that operators adhere to proper operating procedures and decision-making processes – two areas that are much more important for mitigating risks at sea,” according to CNN.

The company has not publicly addressed those allegations but it issued a statement mourning the deaths of the five passengers.

On board the watercraft were OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his teenage son Suleman Dawood.

“These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans,” the release read.

“Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.”