Complex endeavours require complex risk management, and high-reliability organizations recognize this. OceanGate did not plan for the complexity of its operations, with tragic consequences.
A view of the seafloor from the Deep Rover 2 submersible.
Jon Copley
The Titan disaster happened in international waters, in a commercially operated vessel, and with victims of different nationalities. Any details that emerge will likely be treated with sensitivity.
Most submersible designers would elect to have a classification society certify a vessel’s design. OceanGate made the conscious decision to refuse to do this for the Titan.
The vessel Polar Prince towing OceanGate Expeditions submersible vessels from St. John’s, N.L., as it leaves to tour the Titanic wreck site on May 29, 2023.
(Shutterstock)
A team of rescuers has located debris from the Titan, indicating the end of search-and-rescue efforts. Risky undertakings need to assess the cost and capacity of any potential rescue needs.
The Rose-veiled fairy wrasse, a small reef fish discovered in 2022.
Luiz A. Rocha/Wikimedia Commons
From fluffy crabs that wear sea sponge hats to worms that glow in the dark, scientists are constantly finding amazing new life forms in the ocean.
Tube worms, anemones and mussels clustered near a hydrothermal vent on the Galapagos Rift.
NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, Galapagos Rift Expedition 2011/Flickr
Oceanographer Robert D. Ballard, who is best known for finding the wreck of Titanic, has written a memoir recounting his biggest discoveries and calling for more ocean exploration.
The submersible Alvin about 8,500 feet down, studying seafloor volcanoes and eruptions.
(c) Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution with thanks to Daniel Fornari – WHOI-MISO Facility (www.whoi.edu/miso) and National Science Foundation
When you study volcanoes at mid-ocean ridges, doing fieldwork means becoming an aquanaut – diving thousands of feet to the ocean floor in the submersible Alvin, trading tight quarters for amazing views.