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© Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Tourist sub's implosion draws attention to murky regulations of deep-sea expeditions
By BEN FINLEY NORFOLK, Va.©2023 GPlusMedia Inc.
20 Comments
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wallace
Better regulation of submersibles carrying passengers.
Michael Machida
"The Titan wasn't registered as a U.S. vessel or with international agencies that regulate safety..."
Well, maybe it should have been.
bass4funk
They’re trying to collect and recovery as much of the debris as they can. This is very important going forward, if they can study and learn from this tragedy and the mistakes made and implement tougher safety rigorous regulations in the future, they can restore integrity and confidence to a seemingly growing industry.
No corners should ever be cut when it comes to dealing with anything that puts people in the harshest conditions and their lives at risk, you need to have equipment that is specifically designed for the vehicle and that kind of maritime environment. Also, people that volunteer to go in a tiny compact mini-shoe box (which is essentially what it is) should go through stringent physical and mental preparedness, it doesn’t help anyone.
You never want to start panicking in a closed space in an unforgiving environment like that. We should continue to explore our oceans but it should be done proper way.
RIP to all those people.
JJE
As Mr Cameron pointed out, these are the first losses since the era of deep-sea MUVs started in the 1960s.
Rush and OceanGate defied established engineering standards.
If only he hired a 50yo white guy who wasn't inspirational.
JJE
What went wrong is the use of carbon fiber. It doesn't flex.
JJE
Actually what went wrong is the Rush to innovate.
Rodney
Rich people can do anything they want. So no regulation. Also it was in international waters.
JJE
The launch ship - an ex Canadian navy icebreaker - has a hydrophone.
The company waited 8 hours and has been less than forthcoming.
Elvis is here
Seems they can't break the laws of physics,
As most of you know, holding a British university Engineering degree, I am the must qualified person to comment on this topic.
So carbon fibre is not the go-to choice for submarine hulls. It is not known for its compressive load qualities. It's good for lightweight fast moving things, from golf clubs to planes. There is no need for a light weight material for a slow moving vessel such as a sub. The hull needs to be strong and rust proof. Plenty of other materials available that fit the bill.
And getting into a sub that has not been tested or verified?
I am personally as bemused as James Cameron by the whole thing.
Old Sausage
What about a psiquiatric evaluation of the sanity of people who pay 250,000 to risk their lives?
MilesTeg
Blatant disregard for the risks and safety expressed by the experts and it wasn't just Cameron. It wasn't a rush for innovation as much as it was a rush to make money.
Alfie Noakes
Not much makes a stronger argument against late stage capitalism than "CEO who scoffed at safety regulations dies as his shoddily made submersible vessel implodes with billionaire on board.”
Yeah, deep-sea mining was the Seattle-based OceanGate's stated aim. The company received a $450k loan from the US government under PPP. Clearly none of that was spent on ensuring safety. RIP.
funkymofo
Death by hubris. Remarkably similar to the original Titanic tragedy.
canigetawhatwhat
Why is this getting so much coverage. Who cares lol
UChosePoorly
I know we are on the opposite sides of the aisle, but I am with you on this one.
I want there to be good, sound regulations on most industries, but for the deep sea tourist industry, I am ok with letting the invisible hand of the free market sort things out.
Bordeaux
This is another one of those situations that the Simpsons predicted years ago.
Bordeaux
'Mythbusters' video shows what a deep-sea implosion does to a faux human in a scuba suit'
https://www.yahoo.com/news/mythbusters-video-shows-deep-sea-224356331.html
Bordeaux
'Mythbusters' video shows what a deep-sea implosion does to a faux human in a scuba suit'
https://www.yahoo.com/news/mythbusters-video-shows-deep-sea-224356331.html
Gobshite
That's gruesome, but these people it seems didn't take so long, thankfully
1glenn
One of the things Mr. Cameron said on this topic is that the submersible in question was not subject to any regulations, because it was in international waters. The operators could have voluntarily had it inspected, but they did not, knowing that it would not pass inspection. Mr. Cameron also said that the material used in its construction was inherently inappropriate and unsafe for deep diving.