Image Credits: OceanGate The OceanGate Titan submersible operated without effective regulatory oversight in Canada despite repeated interactions with multiple federal agencies, a final investigation by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada has found, exposing systemic gaps in oversight, safety coordination and submersible certification frameworks. The 2023 implosion of the Titan, which killed all five people on board during a descent to the wreck of the Titanic in the North Atlantic, was caused by failure of a carbon fibre pressure hull combined with structural and design shortcomings and a lack of validated engineering testing, the 136-page report said. The vessel was owned by OceanGate and co-founded by CEO Stockton Rush, who was among those killed. The Safety Board said critical operational and risk-related information was dispersed across at least nine Canadian federal departments, but no single authority was responsible for consolidating it, leaving regulators without a complete understanding of the operation. “When it came to the Titan, critical information existed across multiple federal government organizations, but no one was responsible for connecting the dots,” said Yoan Marier, Chair of the Transportation Safety Board. “Without a complete picture of the operation, the Titan continued to operate in Canada without regulatory oversight.” The submersible’s fatal dive on June 18, 2023, occurred while it was being towed and supported from the Canadian-flagged support vessel Polar Prince, operated by Horizon Maritime Services Ltd.. The mission departed from St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, and descended approximately 685 kilometres offshore toward the Titanic wreck site. The investigation found OceanGate had engaged with Transport Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Global Affairs Canada, Parks Canada, and the Canada Border Services Agency during planning and operational discussions between 2019 and 2022. However, key safety concerns identified withi