DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

An OSHA spokesperson said in a response to NBC News that the agency did forward his safety allegations to the Coast Guard, which has the jurisdiction to investigate such claims. The Coast Guard also noted at the start of the hearing that the Titan never underwent an independent review, which is standard practice in the industry. “If the Coast Guard became a problem, then he would buy himself a congressman and make it go away,” McCoy said, adding that he resigned soon after. Rush “said the usual response that ‘it takes too long,’” Kohnen testified about getting OceanGate’s submersible classified by the industry. In a transcript of the conversation made public by the Coast Guard as part of the hearing, Rush denied he was going to put anyone at risk with the Titan.

Persons: Paul, Henri Nargeolet, Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman, Dawood, OceanGate, ” David Lochridge, Rush, ”, Lochridge, ” Lochridge, Tony Nissen, —, Nissen, “ I’m, Amber Bay, Roy Thomas, Thomas, Steven Ross testified.Rush, Ross, ” Ross, “, Bart Kemper, ” Kemper, Guillermo Söhnlein, ’, Matthew McCoy, ” McCoy, William Kohnen, Rush “, ” Kohnen, ‘, ” Rush Organizations: U.S, OceanGate, Stockton Rush, Getty, LinkedIn, Coast Guard, OSHA, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, NBC News, Titan, American Bureau of Shipping, Kemper Engineering Services, Hydrospace Locations: U.S ., South Carolina, Washington, Canada, Amber, U.S

Engineer Don Kramer is slated to testify as the investigation continues into the implosion of OceanGate's Titan submersible. The Coast Guard opened a public hearing earlier this month that is part of a high level investigation into the cause of the implosion. Coast Guard officials noted at the start of the hearing that the submersible had not been independently reviewed, as is standard practice. Wreckage of the Titan was subsequently found on the ocean floor about 330 yards (300 meters) off the bow of the Titanic, Coast Guard officials said. OceanGate said it has been fully cooperating with the Coast Guard and NTSB investigations since they began.

Persons: Don Kramer, Stockton Rush, David Lochridge, Rush, ” Lochridge, William Kohnen, Bart Kemper, Guillermo Sohnlein, ” Sohnlein, “, OceanGate, Titan Organizations: National Transportation Safety, Coast Guard, Titanic, Stockton, The Coast Guard, Hydrospace, Inc, Kemper Engineering, Rush, Polar, NTSB, Associated Press Locations: Washington, Polar, St, John’s, Newfoundland

☆ OceanGate employees were asked to accept delayed paychecks, witnesses tell investigators probing Titan implosion
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Dakin Andone | Graham Hurley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The company that built and operated the Titan submersible asked employees to forego their pay as it faced economic challenges, according to former employees testifying before the US Coast Guard panel probing the vessel’s deadly implosion last year. OceanGate employees were asked to “defer our paychecks” at the start of 2023, Amber Bay, the company’s former director of administration, said Tuesday as part of a two-week hearing before the Marine Board of Investigation – the highest level of Coast Guard inquiry. The board is reviewing the cause of the June 2023 implosion during the submersible’s dive to the Titanic, which claimed the life of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush and four others. Members of the Coast Guard's Titan Submersible Marine Board of Investigation listen during the hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers on September 23, 2024, in North Charleston, South Carolina. Lochridge raised safety concerns about the company’s operations, he testified, saying he had “no confidence whatsoever” in how the Titan was built.

Persons: “, Amber Bay, ”, Rush, Phil Brooks, OceanGate’s, Brooks, Laura Bilson, OceanGate, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, Paul, Henri Nargeolet, David Lochridge, Lochridge, ” Lochridge, CNN’s Ray Sanchez Organizations: CNN, Titan, US Coast Guard, Marine Board, Investigation, Coast Guard, Stockton Rush, Everett, Marine, Chambers, NTSB Locations: Amber, ” Bay, Stockton, Washington, paychecks, OceanGate, Charleston County, North Charleston , South Carolina, Rush

CNN —The surviving co-founder of the company that owned the doomed Titan submersible is scheduled to testify Monday as a US Coast Guard panel continues to investigate what led to the implosion that killed five people last year. The Marine Board of Investigation’s two-week hearing began September 16 and is expected to resume Monday with OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein, who in January 2013 left the company, set to testify, the Coast Guard’s hearing schedule shows. In 2009, Sohnlein and CEO Stockton Rush launched the Washington state-based company that created the experimental 23,000-pound submersible. The submersible lost contact with its support vessel, the Polar Prince, an hour and 45 minutes into its dive on June 18, 2023. Former OceanGate director of marine operations David Lochridge, center, stands during his testimony on September 17, 2024.

Persons: OceanGate, Guillermo Sohnlein, Sohnlein, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, Paul, Henri Nargeolet, Sohnlein’s, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Rush, ”, ” Sohnlein, David Lochridge, Andrew J, Whitaker, ” Lochridge, Steven Ross, Ross, Antonella Wilby, Wilby, ‘, ’, ” Roy Thomas, Phil Brooks Organizations: CNN, US Coast Guard, Marine Board, Stockton Rush, Marine Board of Investigation, Coast Guard, American Bureau of Shipping Locations: Washington

Seconds after that brief communication, the Titan was “pinged” for the last time, according to the opening presentation of the two-week hearing. Days later, authorities found its wreckage on the floor of the North Atlantic Ocean, several hundred yards from the remains of the Titanic, according to the Marine Board of Investigation, which is the highest level of inquiry by the Coast Guard. Lochridge testified he was supposed to pilot the submersible and objected when Rush decided he wanted to pilot the vessel. Rush made multiple errors during the dive, Lochridge said, including ignoring issues with the current and keeping his distance from the wreck. “It just didn’t seem to me that it had been particularly well-thought-out or executed,” he said of the submersible.

Persons: –, ” Peter Girguis, “, OceanGate, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, Paul, Henri Nargeolet, ” Chris Roman, it’s, ”, David Lochridge, ” Lochridge, Lochridge, Rush, “ That’s, ” OceanGate, ‘ Don’t, ’ ”, Alfred McLaren, McLaren, Nargeolet, ” Girguis, David Marquet, ’, “ I’m, Renata Rojas, debriefings, Rojas, ” Rojas, Andrea Doria, “ We’re, we’re, you’re, Rojas “, David Lochridge’s, Stockton, CNN Steven Ross, ” Ross, Ross, could’ve, Scott Griffith, Griffith, Patrick Lahey, Fred Hagen, ” Hagen, ” CNN’s Dakin Andone, Alaa Elassar, Cindy Von Quednow Organizations: CNN, Titan, US Coast Guard, Harvard University, Stockton Rush, Marine Board of Investigation, University of Rhode Island’s, School of Oceanography, Coast Guard, Authorities, OceanGate, Guard, National Transportation Safety, US Navy, ”, PlayStation, Rush, Triton, Harvard Locations: Washington, Newfoundland, Canada, Rush, OceanGate, Stockton, Bahamas

☆ Diving in the Titan ‘was never supposed to be safe,’ mission specialist says of the experimental submersible
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( Alaa Elassar | Graham Hurley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Four days of hearings on the 2023 implosion of the Titan submersible which killed all five people on board concluded this week with more damning testimony recounting multiple safety incidents over the years. Lahey said he saw the Titan in March 2019 while in the Bahamas and was “not impressed,” and told OceanGate staff members how he felt about it. I saw evidence where they were crimping cables to hold on weights, it just looked amateurish in its execution,” he said. “Anyone that felt safe going to depths in the Titan was deluded or delusional, it was an experimental vessel, it was clear that it was dangerous,” said Hagen. David Lochridge, a former director of marine operations for OceanGate who expressed safety concerns about the ill-fated Titan submersible, said during his testimony earlier this week the Titan tragedy could have been prevented if US safety authorities had investigated his complaints.

Persons: Patrick Lahey, Lahey, “, ”, OceanGate, ” OceanGate, Rush, ” Fred Hagan, Corey Connor, ” Lahey, Fred Hagen, Hagen, Antonella Wilby, Wilby, that’s, ” Steven Ross, Ross, OceanGate . Rush, David Lochridge, ” Lochridge Organizations: CNN, Titan, Triton, Triton Submarines, Stockton Rush, imploding, Marine Technology Society, MTS, OSHA Locations: Bahamas, North Charleston , South Carolina

OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, left, and pilot Randy Holt dive in the company's submersible Antipodes in 2013. But Rush still had him inspect the Titan as it was nearing completion in early 2018, Lochridge said. The five people killed when the Titan submersible imploded in June 2023, clockwise from top left: Hamish Harding, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Stockton Rush, and Suleman and Shahzada Dawood. Lochridge testified Tuesday that he told Rush he shouldn't be in charge of that trip, but the CEO was adamant. (The submersible had gained attention when it was unveiled the previous year because it used a PlayStation controller for piloting.)

Persons: David Lochridge, OceanGate, Lochridge, Rush, Randy Holt, Wilfredo Lee, Andrea Doria, Stockton, Hamish Harding, Paul, Henri Nargeolet, Shahzada Dawood, Dawood, Tony Nissen, Nissen, —, shouldn't Organizations: Stockton Rush, U.S . Coast Guard, Coast Guard's Marine Board, Justice Department, Titan, Getty, LinkedIn, Coast Guard, Rush, PlayStation, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, OceanGate Locations: U.S, Washington, South Carolina, Scotland, Massachusetts

☆ The last 2 messages the Titan submersible's passengers sent before the vessel imploded
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Shortly before the message, the Polar Prince sent the submersible several messages over the course of 12 minutes, asking if it could see the support vessel on its display, but the Titan did not respond. AdvertisementWhen it finally responded about four minutes later, the Polar Prince sent the message, "I need better comms from you," to which Titan responded, "Yes." The last message that the Titan sent to the Polar Prince was "dropped 2 wts," per the animation. The animation showed that the Titan lost contact with the Polar Prince at 10:47 a.m. Related storiesThe hearing takes place more than a year after the Titan submersible set off to explore the wreckage of the RMS Titanic, nearly 13,000 feet underwater.

Persons: —, Polar Prince, Tony Nissen, Bonnie Carl, David Lochridge, OceanGate, Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman, Paul, Henri Nargeolet Organizations: Service, Titan, Coast Guard Marine Board of, Coast Guard, Business, Polar, CNN, Stockton Rush Locations: Newfoundland, North Charleston , South Carolina, British

“It was all smoke and mirrors,” he said of the way the company operated. Former employees painted a picture of a company that cut corners in its haste to embark on missions with a poorly designed submersible. “They wanted to be able to qualify a pilot in a day, someone who had never sat in a submersible. The submersible lost contact with its mother ship during its dive to the Titanic on June 18, 2023. When the investigation is complete, the US Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board will each conduct an independent analysis and complete reports, said Jason Neubauer, the chair of the Marine Board of Investigation.

Persons: David Lochridge, OceanGate, ”, Lochridge, – that’s, “, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, Paul, Henri Nargeolet, Jason Neubauer, CNN’s Dakin Andone, Cindy Von Quednow Organizations: CNN, US Coast Guard, Marine Board of, OceanGate, Marine Board of Investigation, Coast Guard, Stockton Rush, National Transportation Locations: Everett , Washington, Newfoundland, Canada

The Titan submersible plunged thousands of feet down the forbidding depths of the North Atlantic Ocean in search of the Titanic wreck site when it imploded, killing all five on board. OceanGate came under heavy scrutiny as a result of the disaster — an almost unheard-of occurrence in the submersible industry. But after the Titan didn’t return at its scheduled time, the Polar Prince contacted the Coast Guard. The suit remains ongoing, and a former OceanGate engineering director, Tony Nissen, named as a defendant, is expected to appear Monday at the Coast Guard hearing. “The Titan submersible did not just go down with its inventor — it went down with paying passengers.”

Persons: —, Guillermo Söhnlein, Jason Neubauer, OceanGate, “, voyagers, Polar Prince, Paul, Henri Nargeolet, Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman, Rush, “ Stockton, I’d, ” Söhnlein, David Lochridge, Lochridge, ” OceanGate, Nargeolet, Tony Nissen, Neubauer, Peter Girguis, there’s, ” Girguis Organizations: Coast Guard, Marine Board, OceanGate, Marine Board of, Department of Justice, Polar, Stockton Rush, Associated Press, Harvard University, Oceanographic Locations: Canada’s, French, North Charleston , South Carolina, Washington, U.S

Lochridge worked as an independent contractor for OceanGate in 2015, then as an employee between 2016 and 2018, CNN has reported. He soon became tangled in litigation with OceanGate, claiming he was wrongfully terminated for raising concerns about the safety and testing of the Titan. “There’s no way on earth you could have paid me to dive the thing,” Lochridge continued. McCallum, a divemaster who has led expeditions to the Titanic, warned Rush in 2018 about the safety of the Titan submersible, telling the CEO he was putting himself and his clients in danger, CNN previously reported. Salvaged pieces of the Titan submersible from OceanGate Expeditions arrive Wednesday in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, via the Horizon Arctic ship.

Persons: CNN —, ” David Lochridge, Lochridge, ” Lochridge, Rob McCallum, “, McCallum, Rush, David Hiscock, –, Hamish Harding, Paul, Henri Nargeolet, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood Organizations: CNN, OceanGate, Stockton Rush, New Yorker, Titan, OceanGate Expeditions Locations: North, New, St, John's, Newfoundland, Labrador, British, French

☆ OceanGate threatened to sue its former chief pilot in 2018 unless he withdrew allegations that he'd been fired in retaliation for raising safety concerns, says report
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

David Lochridge claimed he was fired in retaliation for raising safety concerns about the sub. Lochridge was fired in 2018 after a meeting with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, where they discussed safety. David Lochridge, OceanGate's former chief pilot, was fired in January 2018 after a meeting with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush. The meeting was about safety concerns Lochridge raised in a report about the submersible, which was previously called the Cyclops II, the report said. In his safety report in January 2018, Lochridge pointed to alleged issues that were either defects or unproven, The New Yorker reported.

Persons: OceanGate, David Lochridge, Lochridge, —, Rush, Rob McCallum, Thomas Gilman, Gilman, McCallum, Insider's Tom Porter Organizations: Stockton Rush, Service, Yorker, Titan, US Department of Labor, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, OSHA, Rush Locations: Lochridge

☆ These are the 9 safety concerns an ex-OceanGate worker raised with Stockton Rush about the Titan sub, including fears about its carbon-fiber hull, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An ex-OceanGate worker reportedly raised at least nine Titan safety concerns with CEO Stockton Rush. They included fears the carbon-fiber hull could come apart with repeated dives, per The New Yorker. Experts believe the vessel's carbon-fiber hull may have failed first when the submersible imploded and the five people on board, including Rush, died. He also said in a lawsuit that he reported in 2018 that the submersible's safety could be compromised by poor "quality control and safety" protocols that "paying passengers would not be aware" of. Rush had defended the safety of the submersible and repeatedly criticized what he saw as overly safety regulations blocking innovation.

Persons: David Lochridge, —, Lochridge, Rush, Glue, OceanGate Organizations: Stockton Rush, Service, Titan, Yorker, OceanGate Expeditions Locations: OceanGate

☆ Photos of the Titan sub's wreckage support the theory that the carbon-fiber hull failed first, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Glimpses of the wrecked Titan submersible wreckage were seen as its remains were brought ashore. Though it's difficult to know for sure, the carbon fiber hull likely failed first, an expert told Insider. The titanium structural rings are intactAn annotated picture of the titanium structural rings pulled from the wreckage of the Titan submersible. OceanGate Expeditions' controversial Titan submersible is thought to have imploded within hours of its descent towards the Titanic wreckage on June 18. These were encased in a metal cage that would have been bound to the carbon fiber hull.

Persons: —, Jasper Graham, Jones, OceanGate, Graham, it's, David Lochridge, It's, Paul Daly Organizations: Service, US Coast Guard, & Marine Engineering, Plymouth University, Titan, CBC News, Canada's CBC, Expeditions, Graham, OceanGate Expeditions, Reuters, Canadian Press, AP

☆ Repeated red flags raised by experts about the Titan's safety are likely to feature in investigations into the tragedy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Ryan Hogg | Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Submersible experts raised red flags about the Titan's safety long before it imploded. Investigations into the implosion of OceanGate's Titan submersible are likely to examine repeated warnings about the craft's safety and design. Submersible experts raised red flags about the Titan's safety long before it imploded but OceanGate continued its expeditions. "Bringing an outside entity up to speed on every innovation before it is put into real-world testing is anathema to rapid innovation," OceanGate stated. Rush responded and said he was "tired of industry players who try to use a safety argument to stop innovation".

Persons: it's, John Mauger, OceanGate, David Lochridge, Lochridge, Rush, Rob McCallum Organizations: Morning, New York Times, Staff, Transportation, Board of Canada, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, US Coast Guard, Stockton Rush, BBC News Locations: Newfoundland

☆ Titan submersible: What's next in the search for the imploded submersible?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Zoe Sottile | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The discovery led the US Coast Guard to announce the ship likely imploded, killing all five passengers aboard. The Odysseus 6 discovered debris from the Titan submersible about 1,600 feet from the wreckage of the Titanic on Thursday, according to the US Coast Guard. All five are presumed dead after the “catastrophic implosion” of the submersible, according to the US Coast Guard. On Friday, Coast Guard Rear Adm. John Mauger said, “I don’t have an answer for prospects at this time” when asked about recovering remains. A Coast Guard official said Thursday that authorities are discussing how an investigation would unfold since the implosion took place in international waters.

Persons: Paul Hankins, ”, Tom Maddox, “, John’s, Shahzada, Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, Paul, Henri Nargeolet, John Mauger, ” Aileen Marty, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, ” OceanGate, Mauger, Rush, What’s, OceanGate’s, David Lochridge, William Kohnen, OceanGate, classing, ” Rush, David Pogue, don’t, Don’t Organizations: CNN, Titan, US Coast Guard, Research Services, Coast Guard, Forensic Investigators, Deep Energy, Stockton Rush, OceanGate Expeditions, Florida International University, Maritime Horizon Services, Maritime Horizon, Navy, ”, Authorities, Canada, Transportation, Board of Canada, Transportation Safety Board of Canada, TSB, Canadian, Twitter, National Transportation Safety, Marine Technology, American Bureau of Shipping, Lloyd’s, Rush Locations: Canada, St, British, French, Newfoundland, John’s, Labrador

☆ OceanGate is 'done' and could get sued even though Titan passengers signed waivers, lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Families of the dead Titan submersible passengers could sue OceanGate, a lawyer said. The families' lawyers will argue the risk waivers were void if there was gross negligence, he said. OceanGate could be sued by families of the Titan submersible passengers if investigations into its implosion find gross negligence – even though they'd signed waivers, a lawyer said. He expected their legal representatives would "make whatever arguments they can that this liability waiver will not apply if there's gross negligence." The passengers' families may be able to collect life insurance payouts despite signing waivers, two legal experts told Insider's Erin Snodgrass.

Persons: OceanGate, William Mack, they'd, Hutcher, Citron, Mack, David Lochridge, Stockton Rush, Insider's Erin Snodgrass Organizations: Morning, Titan, Transportation, Board, US National Transportation, US Coast Guard, NTSB, Stockton

☆ A friend said he warned Stockton Rush about possible defects on the Titan in 2019 after hearing 'cracking' noises
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A friend of Stockton Rush told NewsNation he heard "cracking" sounds after a Titan trip in 2019. Karl Stanley emailed Rush to say that the noises "sounded like a flaw/defect," CNN reported. Rush told him to be prepared for the sounds, caused by the sub's carbon fiber, before his dive. A submersible expert and friend of OceanGate's founder Stockton Rush said he tried to warn him that Titan was flawed years ago. Karl Stanley told NewsNation he heard "cracking" sounds when he went on the Titan sub in April 2019.

Persons: NewsNation, Karl Stanley, Rush, Stockton Rush, Stanley, David Lochridge, Lochridge, OceanGate Organizations: Stockton Rush, CNN, Stockton, OceanGate Locations: Bahamas

The company also boasted of collaborations with reputable institutions that have since denied partnering with OceanGate on the submersible in question. The interior of OceanGate's Titan submersible is seen in 2018. It “hasn’t been used in a crewed submersible ever before,” he said in a video last year. OceanGate appears to have also overstated its relationships with two institutions widely respected for their innovation: Boeing and University of Washington. OceanGate had partnered with UW to create a different submersible before parting ways, the university said in a statement.

Persons: Stockton Rush, “, ” Rush, Rush, OceanGate, ” Rachel Lance, ” OceanGate, ’, Paul Henri, Nargeolet, David Pogue, ”, Pogue, Stockton, ” Stockton, don’t, Don’t, David Lochridge, Lochridge, OceanGate’s, Victor Balta, Balta, Guillermo Sohnlein, wasn’t, Anderson Cooper, Will Kohnen, ” Kohnen, Sal Mercogliano, ” Mike Reiss, ” Reiss, ” It’s, John Mauger, “ You’ve, CNN’s Gabe Cohen, Brad Lendon, Greg Wallace, Veronica Miracle, Allison Morrow, Rob Frehse, Paul Murphy, Celina Tebor Organizations: CNN, Stockton, US Coast Guard, Duke University, KOMO, OceanGate Expeditions, CBS, Getty, Boeing, University of Washington, OceanGate Inc, University of Washington’s, Physics Laboratory, UW, UW School of Oceanography, Titan, Marine Technology, Campbell University, Coast Guard Locations: Stockton, North Carolina, AFP

☆ 10 Things in Tech: Amazon Prime's FTC lawsuit, Instagram's top execs, and the high-risk trips popular with the wealthy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But the company had been warned of potential safety issues with the sub as long ago as 2018, a lawsuit says. Amazon Prime's FTC lawsuit. The Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon on Wednesday, accusing the company of luring customers into Prime subscriptions and creating a "labyrinthine" process to cancel them. After the FTC sued Amazon over its Prime membership signup and cancellation process, Insider compiled a list of the juiciest highlights from the lawsuit. Here's a look at other high-risk voyages popular with the wealthy, from Everest trips to $750,000 expeditions to the deepest point in the ocean.

Persons: Nathan Rennolds, David Lochridge, Tyler Le, Sylvia Duran Chen, Jasper, Tim Chen, Read, Ford, Tesla's Cybertruck, Jim Farley, Ford wasn't, Shopify, Here's, Hallam Bullock Organizations: Anadolu Agency, Getty, Amazon, FTC, Federal Trade Commission, Google, Gen, EV, Everest, Netflix Locations: London, Everest

☆ Analysis: Titanic sub victims' families could still sue despite liability waivers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Jack Queen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

June 22 (Reuters) - Liability waivers signed by passengers on a submersible lost at sea during a dive to the Titanic wreck may not shield the vessel's owner from potential lawsuits by the victims' families, legal experts said. The Titan submersible vanished on Sunday roughly two hours into its dive and was found in pieces on the ocean floor after what the U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday was a "catastrophic implosion" of its pressure chamber. The passengers, who paid as much as $250,000 each for the journey to 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) below the surface, are believed to have signed liability waivers. If OceanGate were to fail in such a case, families would be free to file negligence or wrongful death lawsuits. Reporting by Jack Queen; Editing by Amy Stevens and Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: OceanGate, ”, Matthew D, Shaffer, Joseph Low of, David Lochridge, Jack Queen, Amy Stevens, Daniel Wallis Organizations: U.S . Coast Guard, CBS, OceanGate Expeditions, Reuters, American Bureau of Shipping, Thomson Locations: Texas, Joseph Low of California, Everett , Washington, Washington

☆ What is OceanGate? Meet the company that made a business out of risky deep-sea tours of the Titanic shipwreck.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The company has attracted renewed scrutiny since its submersible vessel, Titan, went missing Sunday. In 2018, OceanGate faced a lawsuit from former employee David Lochridge, who said he warned about quality and safety issues related to the Titan vessel. The Titanic shipwreck expeditionsOceanGate has been conducting expeditions of the Titanic ship wreckage since 2021, according to the company's website. When reached for comment, a spokesperson for OceanGate told Insider the company was "unable to provide any additional information at this time." What is the OceanGate Titan?

Persons: OceanGate, Rush, David Pogue, David Lochridge, Pogue, Peter Girguis, Mike Reiss, Reiss Organizations: Stockton Rush, Rush, Morning, OceanGate Expeditions, Titanic, Smithsonian Magazine, Princeton University, McDonnell Douglas Corporation, University of California, The Seattle Times, Smithsonian, CBS, Titan, US Navy, BBC Locations: Everett , Washington, Pitchbook, St, John's, Newfoundland, OceanGate, Harvard

But some experts had worried about its safety, with a former employee and members of a trade group both expressing concerns about the design of the Titan vessel during its development. Lochridge countersued in August 2018, denying that and claiming that OceanGate's lawsuit was an effort to discourage "whistleblowers from coming forth with quality control issues and safety concerns that threaten the safety of innocent passengers." In the letter, Kohnen expressed what he said were widespread concerns about the Titan sub. Kohnen asked the MTS board in 2018 to officially send the letter on behalf of the entire society to Stockton. Stockton was sent a draft of the letter and discussed its contents in a 2018 phone call with Kohnen, in which the men "agreed to disagree" about the safety concerns raised, Kohnen said.

Persons: David Lochridge, OceanGate, Lochridge, Lochridge countersued, Will Kohnen, Kohnen, Stockton, Daniel Trotta, Brad Brooks, Rollo Ross, Donna Bryson, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: OceanGate, Lochridge, Marine Technology, Stockton Rush, Reuters, MTS, DNV GL, DNV, Thomson Locations: Everett , Washington, Stockton

☆ Titan submersible: Search crews heard banging sounds while scouring the Atlantic for manned craft now running out of oxygen
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Nouran Salahieh Ray Sanchez Priscilla Alvarez | Nouran Salahieh | Ray Sanchez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

The banging on Tuesday first came every 30 minutes and was heard again four hours later, according to an internal government memo update on the search. The search for the missing submersible Titan has broadened to an area about two times the size of Connecticut. It was unclear when exactly the banging was heard Tuesday or how long it lasted, based on the memo. We have to keep working until we find the submersible,” Joyce Murray, minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, told reporters Wednesday. If the submersible is intact, the passengers would be dealing with dwindling oxygen levels and fighting cold, he told CNN.

Persons: Jamie Frederick, ”, Frederick, Stone, ” Joyce Murray, “, Ray Scott “ Chip ” McCord, ” Scott, David Hiscock, we’ve, John Mauger, ” Carl Hartsfield, John Cabot –, Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, Sulaiman Dawood, Paul, Henri Nargeolet, ” David Gallo, John’s, Gallo, ” Gallo, Joe MacInnis, who’s, Frederick didn’t, Mauger, David Lochridge, Lochridge, OceanGate, Oceangate, ” OceanGate, Suleman Dawood, Stockton Rush, J, Van Gurley, Gabe Cohen, ” Cohen, Aaron Newman, ” John “ Danny ” Olivas, ” Olivas, CNN’s Victor Blackwell Organizations: CNN, US Coast Guard, Coast Guard, Fisheries, Canadian Coast Guard, OceanGate Expeditions, Canadian Armed Forces, New York Air National Guard, U.S . Air Force, “ CBS, Naval, Oceanographic Systems Laboratory, USCG, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Stockton Rush, Strategic Initiatives, Daylight, Horizon Services, US Navy, Facebook, OceanGate, Titan, Manned, Vehicles, Marine Technology Society, New York Times, Times, Stockton, Polar Prince, Navy, KOMO, CBS Locations: Connecticut, Canadian, Everest, NewfoundlandSaturday, Cape Cod , Massachusetts, OceanGate, Rush, Titan

☆ Stockton Rush: What we know about the Titan submersible's pilot
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Rush has approached his dream of deep-sea exploration with child-like verve and an antipathy toward regulations — a pattern that has come into sharp relief since Sunday night, when his vessel, the Titan, went missing. But in 2004, he told Smithsonian, the dream shifted after Richard Branson launched the first commercial aircraft into space. “I had this epiphany that this was not at all what I wanted to do,” Rush told the magazine. The commercial sub industry is “obscenely safe” he told Smithsonian, “because they have all these regulations. He also asked Rush about what the vessel’s “MacGyvery” components — like the plastic PlayStation controller and LED lights that Rush bought from an RV retailer.

Persons: Jacques Cousteau, Rush, MacArthur, you’re, ” Rush, Alan Estrada, ”, Richard Branson, Kirk, OceanGate, Greg Gilbert, Estrada, “, David Lochridge, OceanGate hasn’t, David Pogue, You’re, Pogue, plumb, Nick D’Annunzio, TARA, Celina Tebor, Sam Delouya Organizations: New, New York CNN, Stockton Rush, verve, Princeton, Smithsonian Magazine, McDonnell Douglas Corporation, UC Berkeley, Smithsonian, Enterprise, OceanGate, Everett, NASA, CBS, Boeing, University of Washington, USA, Michelin Locations: New York, Seattle, Washington

Search resuls for: "David Lochridge"

25 mentions found