- Title: Titan implosion investigators face daunting task: former Navy captain
- Date: 24th June 2023
- Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (JUNE 23, 2023) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER NAVY CAPTAIN AND FORDHAM UNIVERSITY ADJUNCT LAW PROFESSOR, LAWRENCE BRENNAN, SAYING: (SOUNDBITE CONTINUES OVER SHOT OF TITAN SUBMERSIBLE - SEE DATELINE OF SHOT #8 BELLOW - AND ENDS WITH SHOT OF BRENNAN) "One of the issues are the statements made by various people before the event, incl
- Embargoed: 8th July 2023 02:50
- Keywords: Harding Implosion OceanGate Stockton Rush Titan submersible Titanic
- Location: VARIOUS
- City: VARIOUS
- Country: US
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Sea Accidents,North America
- Reuters ID: LVA003234423062023RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The catastrophic failure of deep-sea tourist submersible Titan - operated by OceanGate - is certain to spark multiple investigations and raise calls for additional safety regulations - and could also spur lengthy civil litigation, according to former Navy captain and veteran maritime lawyer and professor Lawrence Brennan.
Brennan, an adjunct professor of maritime law at Fordham Law School, said on Friday (June 23) any investigation will likely be hampered by the extreme depth at which the remains of Titan came to rest and the catastrophic nature of its failure.
The Titan imploded during its expedition to the wreckage of the Titanic, killing all five people aboard the vessel in an incident that captured the world's attention.
Industry experts say they were the first known fatalities in more than 60 years of civilian deep-sea submergence.
Brennan said he expects there'll be civil litigation in the U.S. soon, adding that it could include a practice called "limitation of liability proceeding", in which owners might attempt to argue fault isn't theirs " but if it was their fault, their liability, if any, is limited to the post casualty value of the ship," he explained.
Brennan said he agreed with those who think the tragedy calls for greater government oversight.
Brennan suggested the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board could play an early role in assessing what went wrong and what changes are warranted.
But even as industry leaders braced for increased scrutiny, they said it was difficult to forecast what sort of changes may come. In the high seas where the Titan and other submersibles operate, there are no regulations and there is no government that controls international waters.
OceanGate has not addressed queries about its decision to forgo certification from industry third parties such as the American Bureau of Shipping.
Of roughly 10 submersibles capable of diving to the depth of the Titanic - nearly 4,000 meters below the surface - only OceanGate's Titan was uncertified, according to peer-review group Marine Technology Society's (MTS) committee on manned submersibles.
U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said at a Thursday (June 22) press conference in which he announced that the Titan had imploded that "questions about the regulations that apply and the standards" would be "a focus of future review."
Movie director James Cameron, who became a deep-sea explorer in the 1990s while researching and making his Oscar-winning blockbuster "Titanic" and is part owner of Triton Submarines, said he would support regulation to require certification of vessels, but it would have to be passed in every country where submersibles operated.
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