A father and son from Pakistan boarded Titan. What went wrong is now public

The Titan submersible implosion that killed five, including Pakistani father-son duo Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, was preventable, says a US Coast Guard report citing negligence, mismanagement, and safety failures.

MediaBites | August 6, 2025
By Imran Malik

In a heartbreaking revelation, the U.S. Coast Guard has concluded that the catastrophic implosion of the Titan submersible, which claimed five lives near the Titanic wreckage in June 2023, was entirely preventable. Among the victims were Pakistan’s prominent businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman, whose loss sent shockwaves across the nation and beyond.

The long-awaited report directly blames OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who also perished in the disaster, for “gross negligence” and willful disregard for safety protocols. It states that OceanGate exploited regulatory loopholes, used intimidation tactics, and cultivated a toxic workplace culture, all of which led to the fatal voyage.

The report is damning: it reveals how warnings by engineers and contractors were ignored, with one likening the submersible’s first hull to a “high school project”. Another was reportedly told, “You have a bad attitude—you don’t have an explorer mindset,” when raising concerns.

OceanGate’s internal failures and lack of oversight culminated in a tragedy that cost the lives of adventurer Hamish Harding, veteran French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and the beloved Pakistani father-son duo, who were celebrated not only for their philanthropy but also for their shared spirit of exploration.

“This wasn’t just a technical failure; it was a failure of leadership, accountability, and humanity,” one industry expert said.

The Marine Board of Investigation noted that had Rush survived, criminal charges could have followed. He deliberately bypassed inspections, skipped critical maintenance, and pursued risky innovation under the guise of “cowboy exploration.”

For Pakistan, the pain still lingers. Shahzada and Suleman Dawood’s names have become symbols of a preventable loss, victims of a deadly mix of ambition and arrogance. Their families, friends, and a mourning nation now seek answers—and accountability.

“Their journey to the depths was meant to inspire. Instead, it exposed the darkest depths of human recklessness.”