The maker of the lost Titanic sub said 'innovation' was the reason the vessel wasn't checked to see if it was up to industry standards
- The Titan's maker said "innovation" was why it was never checked for whether it met standards.
- OceanGate said in 2019 that its Titan submersible had features that would take years to approve.
The maker of the lost Titan submersible previously said "innovation" was the reason that the vessel wasn't classed, a standard practice to ensure seafaring vehicles are up to standards.
In a 2019 blog titled "Why Isn't Titan Classified?" OceanGate said its submersible had innovative features that were outside preexisting standards.
"By definition, innovation is outside of an already accepted system," the blog said. "However, this does not mean that OceanGate does meet standards where they apply, but it does mean that innovation often falls outside of the existing industry paradigm."
OceanGate also said "new and innovative designs and ideas" on its vehicle, such as carbon-fiber material and a "real-time hull-health-monitoring system," would've gone through a "multiyear approval cycle due to a lack of preexisting standards."
OceanGate compared its testing of the submersible — which involved having outside experts oversee the operations and testing of the vessel, according to the blog — to companies such as SpaceX and Virgin Galactic.
In a 2019 interview, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush complained that regulations were stifling progress in his industry.
"It's obscenely safe because they have all these regulations," Rush said. "But it also hasn't innovated or grown because they have all these regulations."
The Titan and the five people aboard it are missing after they tried to visit the wreck of the Titanic. The US Coast Guard is a part of the search and rescue but has said the tourist vessel has only a few days of oxygen left.
If found, the Titan submersible will need to be opened from the outside — the crew is locked in with dead bolts, meaning they can't break out if the vessel surfaces.
Some of the equipment on board the Titan looked to be "improvised" and "off the shelf," including a video-game controller to steer the vessel.