Officials have announced that they will be looking into voice recordings from the ill-fated Titan sub as part of a probe into the deaths of the five passengers.
A week after the disastrous underwater journey of the Titan submersible to the remains of the Titanic, US officials revealed the next steps in investigating the tragedy.
As reported by CNN, the US Coast Guard announced on Sunday that it had convened a Marine Board of Investigation - the agency's most rigorous investigative level - to delve into the underwater "catastrophic implosion".
Debris consistent with the small vessel’s pressure chamber loss was discovered around 1,600 feet from the Titanic's bow, according to US Coast Guard Rear Adm. John Mauger.
The tragic event claimed the lives of Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate Expeditions, British entrepreneur Hamish Harding, French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman, both British citizens of Pakistani descent.
The panel's objective, according to US Coast Guard chief investigator Capt. Jason Neubauer, is to ascertain what led to and caused this disastrous incident and put forth recommendations for possible civil or criminal sanctions.
In a series of probes announced since the Titan sub's implosion, the Coast Guard investigation is in its initial stages, focusing on collecting debris from the wreckage and conducting interviews.
Meanwhile, the Titan recovery mission continues on the sea floor, led by Pelagic Research Services. The Odysseus 6K, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), is currently making its fourth dive at the rescue site. Given the weight of the debris, the recovery efforts may need to be augmented by Deep Energy, another company assisting with the mission. The operation would likely involve rigged cabling to hoist any debris.
Following this, the board will hold a public hearing to gather further testimony, culminating in a report compiling evidence, conclusions, and recommendations.
Investigators will also analyze voice recordings from the mother ship that carried the submersible and its ill-fated occupants, as stated by Canadian officials. The Polar Prince, the ship in question, was boarded by Canadian investigators on Saturday to gather data from the ship's voyage data recorder and other informative systems. The crew and the victims' family members, currently aboard the Polar Prince, are also being interviewed.
Additionally, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have also announced that they are probing the incident and are considering the possible violation of criminal, federal, or provincial laws.
Communication records between the submersible and its mother ship will likely come under scrutiny as part of the investigation, CNN reports. According to the OceanGate Expeditions' archived website, the mother ship was mandated to communicate with the submersible via text messages every 15 minutes.
The Titan sub had drawn much attention for its innovative carbon fiber and titanium construction and capabilities to dive to depths of 4000m.
Now, however, there have been increasing questions about the Titan's design. A CNN review indicates that OceanGate's commitment to safety measures seemed at odds with its decisions. The company had bypassed industry standards, opting out of a voluntary, intense safety review of the submersible.
These findings are underscored by a concerning email sent by submersible expert Karl Stanley to Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate Expeditions, after an undersea excursion in 2019. In this correspondence, Stanley expressed his concern about suspected defects in the submersible, casting further doubt on the Titan's safety.