Aisha TukurEx-employees of OceanGate facing questions at Coast Guard hearings.
On 18 June last year, five people, including two prominent British businessmen, died when a sub they were in to explore the sunken liner Titanic imploded underwater. A hearing will hear from employees of OceanGate, Titan’s owner, to make recommendations to prevent similar tragedies.
The Coast Guard investigatory board is expected to hear from former employees of the company that owned the Titan submersible.
OceanGate suspended operations after the implosion, which killed company co-founder Stockton Rush and four others.
Witnesses set to appear include Guillermo Sohnlein, another co-founder of OceanGate, as well as the company’s former engineering director, operations director, and scientific director.
OceanGate’s former director of administration, former finance director and other witnesses who worked for the company are also expected to testify.
The witness list also includes numerous Coast Guard officials, scientists, government and industry officials.
The hearing in Charleston County, South Carolina, is scheduled to last two weeks.
The board is expected to issue a report with evidence, conclusions and recommendations once its investigation is finished.
In July, the Coast Guard said the public hearing “examine all aspects of the loss of the Titan, including pre-accident historical events, regulatory compliance, crewmember duties and qualifications, mechanical and structural systems, emergency response and the submersible industry.”
