The federal Fisheries Department is shedding new light on its relationship with OceanGate, the American company behind the deepsea Titan submersible that imploded south of Newfoundland in 2023, killing all five people aboard.
The department confirmed Thursday that in the summer of 2021, a staff member boarded a vessel “associated with OceanGate” to participate as an observer during a mission off Newfoundland.
“The purpose was to learn more about OceanGate,” the department said in an email.
“Upon conclusion of the mission, it was determined that [OceanGate’s] priorities did not align with the department’s scientific objectives, and a further relationship was not pursued.”
No other details were provided about the trip.
When asked if any federal employees raised safety concerns about OceanGate, a department spokesman said safety for submersibles does not fall within the department’s mandate.
“The department was not involved in risk assessment or operational oversight of any subsequent missions,” the spokesman said in an email.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Coast Guard released a report that concluded the tragedy on June 18, 2023, could have been prevented had OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush heeded safety warnings and calls for independent inspections and certification of the submersible.
Rush was among those killed when Titan split apart as it descended near the Titanic, about four kilometres below the surface of the North Atlantic.
Safety procedures at OceanGate, a private company based in Washington state, were “critically flawed” and there were “glaring disparities” between safety protocols and actual practices, the coast guard’s report said.
The 300-page report also revealed that in May 2021, Canada’s Fisheries Department had written a “letter of support” to Rush, saying the department wanted to collaborate with his company to assess its submersibles for scientific research.
Only portions of the letter were included in the coast guard report.
The Fisheries Department sent a copy of the letter on Wednesday, along with a statement that suggested its initial discussions with OceanGate were routine.
“Fisheries and Oceans Canada [DFO] routinely expresses interest in scientific collaboration with a wide variety of potential partners,” a spokesman said Wednesday in an email.
“In early 2021, DFO had a series of exploratory discussions with OceanGate. The [May 2021] letter was sent to summarize the discussions that took place and the potential for the department to work with the company, beginning in 2021, to determine the applicability of its marine research systems.”
The letter, dated May 19, 2021, makes it clear that department officials were keen to work with Rush and his team.
“DFO Maritimes Region is pleased with the discussions with OceanGate, the offer to participate in 2021, and the unique opportunity being offered to Canadian scientists and conservation efforts.”
The letter also mentions possible funding from Ottawa.
The department spokesman also confirmed in the Wednesday email there were discussions about having a staff member board the submersible on an expedition to the Titanic, almost 700 kilometres south of Newfoundland. But he said that never happened.
The department did not explain why the relationship with OceanGate was eventually terminated or mention its collaboration on another vessel until pressed for details the next day.
Besides DFO’s letter of support in 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard’s investigation found no evidence of any actual collaboration or funding.
The submersible’s implosion also killed French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British adventurer Hamish Harding and two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood.
In June, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said the independent agency had completed its investigation report, which at the time was being reviewed.
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