OceanGate is also under increased scrutiny as documents show that the company had been warned there might be catastrophic safety problems posed by the way the experimental vessel was developed.
David Lochridge, OceanGate’s director of marine operations, said in a 2018 lawsuit that the company’s testing and certification was insufficient and would “subject passengers to potential extreme danger in an experimental submersible.”
Breitbart’s Lucas Nolan reports:
David Lochridge, the Titan project’s director of marine operations, was let go in 2018 after calling for more stringent safety inspections of the submersible, including “testing to prove its integrity.” Lochridge was quoted as having “disagreed with OceanGate’s position to dive the submersible without any non-destructive testing to prove its integrity, and to subject passengers to potential extreme danger in an experimental submersible.”
In 2018, Lochridge published a report that was critical of the company’s research and development efforts for the vessel, according to legal filings. He had “strongly encouraged that OceanGate utilize a classification agency, such as the American Bureau of Shipping, to inspect and certify the Titan.” OceanGate, however, turned down both requests.
Despite the concerns expressed by Lochridge, OceanGate declined to have the submersible independently inspected, a practice known as “classing” that is common in the industry. This procedure entails appointing a neutral group to guarantee that submersibles and other vessels adhere to high technical standards set by the entire industry. It is thought to be essential for making sure a vessel is fit for operation.
Classification could take years, according to OceanGate, who defended their choice by saying that it would be “anathema to rapid innovation.” The company stated, “While classing agencies are willing to pursue the certification of new and innovative designs and ideas, they often have a multi-year approval cycle due to a lack of pre-existing standards… Bringing an outside entity up to speed on every innovation before it is put into real-world testing is anathema to rapid innovation.”
It has since come to light that the vessel didn’t even appear to have a basic safety beacon installed.