The co-founder of the American company OceanGate Expeditions, whose submersible imploded with five passengers on board near the wreck of the Titanic, assured Friday that safety was a “key element” of the culture of the company.
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After the announcement of the “catastrophic implosion” of the small tourist submarine, criticisms are multiplying concerning potential negligence.
On Thursday, James Cameron, director of the film ‘Titanic’ and avid explorer of the seabed, openly denounced the “ignored warnings” about safety.
“I was involved in the early stages of the development program” at OceanGate, retorted on Times Radio Guillermo Söhnlein, co-founder of OceanGate with Stockton Rush, who died in the implosion.
“I know from experience that we were extremely committed to safety and that risk mitigation was a key part of the company culture.”
Mr Söhnlein, who left the company in 2013, recalled that James Cameron himself had visited the wreck many times to produce his 1997 planetary hit.
“I believe he was asked about a similar risk and he said: Listen, if something happens at this depth it will be catastrophic within microseconds. The implosion will occur at near supersonic speeds and you will be dead before your brain can tell anything is wrong.
On the BBC, William Kohnen, an engineer at the head of an American committee on manned submersibles bringing together companies and researchers, said his group had raised concerns about the “Titan” developed by OceanGate.
But according to him, the company was “unwilling” to undergo a certification process.
For Mr. Söhnlein, it is still too early to know what really happened but he felt that underwater exploration should continue to develop.
“As with space exploration, the best way to preserve the legacy of these five explorers is to investigate, find out what went wrong, learn from it, and move forward. “, he said.