Titan: a former employee had denounced “security flaws” in the lost submarine and was fired

The manufacturer of the Titan submarine that disappeared on Sunday during a dive to visit the remains of the titanicOceanGate Expeditions, was the subject of lawsuits in 2018 by a former employee over the safety of the vessel.

The company laid off David Lochridge after he expressed concern about the safety of the vessel. The company sued the former employee that same year, in 2018, alleging that he had breached his employment contract by revealing confidential information. to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at the time you filed the complaint with the agency.

LOOK: A billionaire, a father and his son, a renowned explorer: who are the 5 passengers on the Titanic submarine?

In response to the request, Lochridge alleged that he had been unfairly dismissed and that his actions were aimed at ensuring the safety of passengers in the submarineproposing the company to to carry out tests on the hull of the ship.

The Titan submarine is capable of reaching the remains of the Titanic. (Ocean Gate).

According to the document, the former employee pointed out that the company could “expose passengers to a potential extreme danger in an experimental submersible”, since clients “they wouldn’t be aware” of this design and the lack of evidence.

In addition, several businessmen sent a letter to Ocean Gate in 2018 expressing reservations about the safety of the submarinenoting that the “experimental” approach could potentially have results “catastrophic” that could affect the industry.

The Titan. (AFP).

The submersible disappeared on Sunday about 700 kilometers off the coast of Newfoundland, without for the moment having clues about his whereabouts. She lost contact with the surface less than two hours after starting the dive and experts estimate that the oxygen on board can last up to 96 hours, in the best of scenarios.

The luxury liner titanic It is located about 600 kilometers off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at a depth of 3,800 meters. under the sea surface. Its shipwreck occurred in 1912 and resulted in more than 1,500 deaths, although the remains were not located until 1985.

With information from EuropaPress

Source: Elcomercio