The arguments by the company, OceanGate, in the article are so strange. Paraphrasing -
We are choosing to NOT get our vessel tested by another agency because most accidents occur due to human error instead of mechanical. While their claim may have some soundness for traditional and well-tested equipment, it doesn’t mean mechanical failures cannot happen especially for completely new designs and materials.
We are testing using this new testing device that we ourselves created and are not going to use other prevalent non-destructive tests (NDT). It is perfectly acceptable to have to design new instruments for testing new materials since existing NDT instruments may be unsuitable for a new material. However, there still needs to be instrument calibration and testing, preferably by an independent body or at least peer reviewed and published, to verify that it will provide suitable evaluations. The article doesn’t mention if any of this was done.
Really unfortunate about all the people on board. It looks like some of the folks were rich so I hope the company is sued into oblivion and the leadership gets jail time for criminal negligence.
Catch42