The US Coast Guard announced on Wednesday that investigators found possible human remains amid the wreckage of the Titan submersible, with five crew members aboard when it suffered a catastrophic failure during descent toward the Titanic wreck on June 18.
The Coast Guard stated that the remains will be sent to U.S. medical experts for analysis as part of the ongoing inquiry.
Nationwide inquiries intensified after the National Maritime Investigation Board, known as the MBI, began a high-level probe on Sunday to examine the diver incident.
MBI chief Captain Jason Neubauer said today’s evidence is expected to provide researchers with crucial data. He noted the investigation involves multiple judicial and regulatory bodies and that the work is far from finished.
Neubauer underscored that there remains substantial work to uncover the factors behind Titan’s loss and to prevent a recurrence of such tragedy in the future.
This development coincides with another phase of the Titan recovery in Canada, conducted by the company linked to Titan’s mothership, the Polar Prince.
Canadian authorities are also conducting independent investigations to determine the causes of the diver’s accident, alongside the ongoing international inquiry.
Polar Prince was responsible for towing Titan on June 16, carrying five people from the port of San Juan de Terranova, about 600 kilometers southeast to the dive site where Titan’s remnants lie near the Titanic’s wreckage.
U.S. officials reported that Polar Prince lost contact with Titan 105 minutes after the dive began on Sunday, June 18, while the vessel was en route to view the Titanic wreckage.
The Titan tragedy claimed the lives of five individuals: Shahzada Dawood, a Pakistani billionaire, and his 19-year-old son Suleman; British explorer Hamish Harding; French explorer Paul-Henry Nargeolet; and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.
first images
Images aired by a Canadian public broadcaster show Horizon Arctic cranes unloading large Titan debris in the Titan port area of San Juan de Terranova. Horizon Arctic is operated by the same Canadian company that owns Polar Prince, and the remotely operated vehicle Odysseus was used in the effort.
Pelagic Research Services, owner of the Odysseus, announced that offshore operations had been completed successfully and that Horizon Arctic had demobilized ten business days later.
Footage released by the broadcaster reveals the diver’s bow preserved, a gray hemispherical section with a small porthole, though it appears a portion of the transparent cover may have been displaced by the impact.
Canadian vessel Horizon Arctic has delivered the first Titan wreckage recovered from the deep sea with the help of a remotely operated vehicle. The incident has been documented by public broadcasters and will be a focus of ongoing analysis, with formal attributions to follow.
Another fragment recovered by Horizon Arctic appears to be a substantial rear-section structure, described as a large machine component on the vehicle’s tail end. Titan is primarily composed of titanium and carbon fiber.
Research
Upon docking at San Juan, Newfoundland, a U.S. transportation safety inquiry team joined Canadian authorities to assess the events surrounding Titan’s loss. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have initiated investigations to determine the circumstances surrounding the Titan crash.
The TSB indicated it would oversee inquiries related to the operation of the Polar Prince and the safety conditions of the Canadian-flagged vessel involved in Titan’s descent.
Meanwhile, a separate U.S. Coast Guard inquiry continues to pursue the root causes of the explosion that destroyed Titan and left five people on board while en route to view the Titanic remains.
The ongoing investigations aim to identify critical factors and offer recommendations to improve maritime safety and security for future operations, with a focus on preventing similar incidents worldwide.