Safety Features for Submarines Discussed Amid Missing Titanic Submersible Titan

Submarines and submersibles like the missing Titan need safety features to ensure the passengers are safe in case things go wrong.

Safety Features That Titanic Submersible, Other Subs Need

Eric Fusil, an associate professor at the School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Adelaide and a submarine passionate, shared his thoughts about the safety measures that have to be incorporated in submarines after the Titanic submersible named Titan went missing Sunday. It has been days since the sub went missing and the oxygen was expected to last until Thursday morning, so all five passengers were already presumed dead.

In his article, he mentioned a letter from the Manned Underwater Vehicles Committee of the Marine Technology Society signed by 38 experts sent to OceanGate expressing concerns about the submersible's safety. OceanGate allegedly used an experimental approach which they feared could result in negative outcomes with serious consequences.

He noted that the engineering and regulation of deep-sea submersibles is of uncharted territory and Titan operates in international waters, which technically frees it from a single nation's governance.

Most submersible designers would elect to have a classification society certify the vessel's design. However, OceanGate allegedly consciously refused to do it.

He mentioned the "seaworthiness" of submersibles. Fusil said marine vessels should be fit for their purpose, safe to operate, and comply with environmental protection regulations.

For the missing sub, he said its fitness for purpose could be summarized in its ability to safely launch from a mothership on the surface of the ocean, operate independently down to 4,000m (about the depth of the Titanic shipwreck), then resurface for recovery by the mothership after a dive of a few hours.

He added that it should be resistant to pressure. In Titan's case, he said it should withstand 370 bars of pressure in seawater. If there was any defect in the hull, it could result in an instantaneous implosion.

He also mentioned the need for backups and redundancy, like extra main power, a reliable communication system, and reserve oxygen.

Titan Passengers Presumed Dead

On Thursday, OceanGate released a statement on Twitter announcing that the five passengers of the Titanic submersible Titan - its CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet - "have sadly been lost." It described all men as "true explorers" with "a distinct spirit of adventure and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world's oceans."

Prior to the announcement, former submarine commander Andy Coles shared that the passengers were probably already dead. In a previous report from Science Times, the ex-commanding officer said that the passengers may have died from hypothermia or carbon dioxide poisoning.

He noted that it is very cold 3,800 meters underwater. Also, they most likely lacked both power and light because if they had, they would probably drive to the surface. Additionally, if they reached the surface, they would have remained inside the sub because it is bolted shut from the outside.

At the time, he added that if the submarine were found in time, there would be less than a 50% chance that the passengers were still alive.

According to a report, Titan was destroyed. They reportedly found debris that were consistent to the components used for the missing sub during the search and rescue operation and the families were already notified.

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