What lies ahead for OceanGate? Company closes headquarters indefinitely as officials determine if criminal probe needed

BySumanti Sen

Jun 27, 2023 

Officials investigating the Titan will reportedly examine voice recordings and 

other data from its mothership Polar Prince to determine what happened

An underwater robot is now combing the floor for debris from the catastrophic implosion of the submersible that resulted in the deaths of five passengers. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is launching an investigation into the implosion. The National Transportation Safety Board has also said that the US Coast Guard will lead the investigation into the incident.This comes as the company that operated the Titan, OceanGate, has closed its headquarters in Everett, Washington State. The leasing agent said the company would be closing indefinitely, according to The Seattle Times. OceanGate’s CEO Stockton Rush was killed in the latest tragedy along with British billionaire Hamish Harding, French diver Paul Henry Nargeolet, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman.

Meanwhile, it was revealed that officials investigating the Titan will reportedly examine voice recordings and other data from its mothership Polar Prince to determine what happened during the voyage. They will also try to determine if the incident occurred criminally.

The submersible began its journey on Sunday morning, June 18. About one hour and 45 minutes into its descent, the vessel lost contact with the Polar Prince, the support ship that transported it to the site.

Investigators with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada visited the Polar Prince on Saturday, June 24, “to collect information from the vessel’s voyage data recorder and other vessel systems that contain useful information,” TSB Chairwoman Kathy Fox told CNN. She stressed that the aim of the investigation was not to blame anyone but that voice recordings “could be useful in our investigation.”

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superintendent Kent Osmond has announced that authorities are trying to determine if the case deserves a criminal investigation. “Such an investigation will proceed only if our examination of the circumstances indicate criminal, federal or provincial laws may possibly have been broken,” he said, according to New York Post.