«Security was a key element for OceanGate». Thus Guillermo Soehnlein, co-founder of OceanGate, whose submarine imploded last night with 5 passengers on board, defended himself against accusations of possible negligence by the company. Yesterday even the director James Cameron, director of the film Titanic and passionate explorer of the seabed, openly denounced the “ignored warnings” on safety. «I was involved in the early stages of the development program at OceanGate – Soehnlein explained to the Times -. I know from experience that we were extremely committed to safety and that risk mitigation was a fundamental part of the company culture.”
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Mr Sohnlein, who left the company in 2013, recalled that James Cameron himself had visited the wreck many times to produce his 1997 global hit. “I believe he was asked about a similar risk and he replied : “Listen, if anything happens at this depth, it will be catastrophic within microseconds. The implosion will happen at near supersonic speeds and you will be dead before your brain can even figure out something is wrong.” To the BBC, William Kohnen, an engineer the head of a US committee on manned submersibles that brings together companies and researchers, said his group had raised concerns about the “Titan” developed by OceanGate, but according to him, the company was “reluctant” to undergo a process of certification.
Director James Cameron: ‘Warnings Unheeded, There Was Great Concern About Titan’
“It’s still too early to know what really happened,” said the co-founder. “The best way to preserve the legacy of these five explorers is to investigate, find out what went wrong, learn and move forward.”
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