Will there be a criminal investigation over the Titan’s implosion?

After the US Coast Guard confirmed that the crew onboard OceanGate’s submersible had imploded, killing the five members of the crew on board, various oceanic explorers have come forward, raising doubts about the safety of the vessel. Various outlets have also reported that the safety risks associated with the vessel’s construction had been clear to OceanGate’s executives, and calls for third-party certification were ignored.

A criminal investigation could be opened

Now, as the search and rescue mission winds down, Canadian authorities have not ruled out the possibility of a criminal investigation being opened. First, however, authorities plan to investigate exactly what led to the implosion, and in the case that they find that provincial or federal laws were broken, OceanGate could be subject to a criminal investigation.

During a press conference on Saturday, 24 June, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Superintendent Kent Osmond said that at this point, “there’s no suspicion of criminal activity per se,” but that they are “taking initial steps to assess whether or not we will go down that road.”

The investigations are being led by Canadian authorities because the boat used to transport the crew to the site of the wreckage, the Polar Prince, is a Canadian vessel.

Passengers describe the waivers they had to sign

Mike Reiss and Alan Estrada, two people who traveled in 2022 aboard the Titan submarine to see the Titanic, revealed a few details to the Daily Mail about the contract they signed with OceanGate.

The waiver mentioned the word ‘death’ three times only on the first page. “This experimental vessel has not been approved or certified by any regulatory body, and could result in physical injury, emotional trauma, or death,” read part of the waiver obtained by the outlet.

Both agreed that it was a “suicidal” mission, as well as the “luck” they had to get out alive due to the risks involved in facing a challenge of these characteristics.