Safety board finds Titan submersible lacked oversight

A federal investigation has concluded that the Titan submersible operated in Canada without any regulatory oversight, leaving its occupants at risk before the vessel imploded during a dive to the Titanic wreck nearly three years ago. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada released its final report on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, detailing systemic failures that contributed to the disaster on June 18, 2023, which killed all five people aboard.

The board found that Transport Canada was aware the uncertified submersible was operating out of St. John’s, Newfoundland, but did not oversee its operations. Several other government agencies also had pieces of information about OceanGate Expeditions’ activities, but the sharing of that information was limited, preventing a complete understanding of the risks. Yoan Marier, chair of the safety board, stated that nobody could put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

The Titan was not certified by any independent third party, a process known as classification, to ensure it met safety standards. The investigation determined OceanGate had no clear understanding of how long the submersible’s unconventional carbon-fibre hull would withstand...