Canada’s federal Fisheries Department has disclosed new details about its brief connection with OceanGate, the U.S. company behind the Titan submersible that tragically imploded near Newfoundland in 2023, killing all five people onboard.
In an email to The Canadian Press, the department confirmed that in the summer of 2021, one of its staff members boarded a vessel linked to OceanGate as an observer during a mission off Newfoundland. The goal was to better understand OceanGate’s operations.
However, the department said that after the mission, it was concluded that OceanGate’s priorities did not align with its scientific goals, and no further collaboration was pursued.
When asked about safety concerns, a department spokesperson clarified that safety oversight of submersibles was not within their responsibilities, and they did not participate in risk assessments or operational control of any later missions.
This revelation follows a recent U.S. Coast Guard report, which stated the Titan tragedy could have been avoided if OceanGate’s CEO, Stockton Rush, had listened to safety warnings and accepted independent inspections. Rush was among those who died when the submersible broke apart near the Titanic wreck.
The Coast Guard’s report criticized OceanGate’s safety procedures as “critically flawed” and highlighted significant gaps between official protocols and real practices. The 300-page investigation also included a letter from Canada’s Fisheries Department, dated May 2021, expressing support and interest in collaborating with OceanGate on marine research.
The Fisheries Department described its initial talks with OceanGate as routine exploratory discussions with a variety of potential partners. The letter mentioned possible funding from Ottawa and emphasized the opportunity for Canadian scientists to benefit from the collaboration.
Although there were talks about sending a staff member on a submersible expedition to the Titanic site, the department confirmed this never took place. The Fisheries Department did not initially explain why the partnership ended or detail any collaboration on other vessels until pressed for more information.
Apart from the letter of support, the U.S. Coast Guard found no evidence of actual joint projects or funding from Canada.
The Titan disaster also claimed the lives of French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British adventurer Hamish Harding, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood along with his son Suleman Dawood.
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board announced in June that it had completed its investigation, which was under review at the time.
