Former OceanGate official says 'company's operations were a sham': Blames US government

David Lochridge, the former Director of Marine Operations at OceanGate, said he sent numerous complaints to the US government before the 'OceanGate tragedy' in 2023, but that no inspections were conducted.

According to a CNN report, Lochridge testified in court, stating, 'If the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had attempted to investigate the complaints I reported many times, this tragedy could have been prevented.'

Lochridge stated that after he was fired from the company in 2018, he tried to reach out to OSHA regarding OceanGate's Titan submarine, expressing his deep concerns about the safety of the vessel and voicing his disappointment that OSHA did not investigate these concerns.

'EMPLOYEES DID NOT HAVE THE NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS'

Stating that his role at the company was to ensure the safety of the crew, Lochridge said that no one other than himself was qualified to be a pilot, and that he believed these individuals were kept at the company for 'show'.

Lochridge claimed that the company's operations were 'all a sham,' using the expression, 'There were problems on all the old exploration trips you see on social media.'

Noting that the submarine's acrylic window was certified only for depths of up to 1,000 meters, Lochridge stated that he told OSHA that 'OceanGate wanted to take the submarine down to 4,000 meters' and that they did not inform their customers about the window's limitations.

Lochridge alleged that the company ignored the window manufacturer's concerns regarding this situation and the manufacturer's offer to produce a window capable of reaching a depth of 13,000 meters, describing the company founder's vision as 'giving someone a game console controller and making them a pilot in an hour.'

WAS THE DISASTER CAUSED BY A GREED FOR HIGH PROFITS?

Accusing the company of ignoring rules and regulations established by experienced individuals, Lochridge stated that the firm was trying to generate the highest profit in the shortest amount of time.

Lochridge emphasized that there were no experienced employees on the team, explaining that most of the engineering team were recent university graduates, and some had not even received a university education.

On the other hand, an OceanGate company representative declined to comment on Lochridge's statements.

THE OCEANGATE DISASTER

The Titan, a submarine approximately 6.5 meters in size owned by the company OceanGate, dived into the Atlantic Ocean on June 18, 2023, to observe the wreckage of the Titanic.

The Titan submarine imploded and sank, resulting in the deaths of 5 people.

News Source: AA