Ocean Gate requested that employees temporarily suspend their wage earnings, according to ex-employees who provided insights to investigators examining the Titan implosion incident.
OceanGate personnel were asked to postpone their paychecks at the beginning of 2023, as per the statement made by Amber Bay, the previous administrative director, during a two-week hearing held by the Marine Board of Investigation – the highest Marine Coast Guard investigation body. The board is examining the reasons behind the June 2023 disaster occurring during the submersible's dive to the Titanic, which resulted in the demise of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush and four other individuals.**
"We were attempting to balance our financial situation," Bay mentioned, describing an offer that Rush allegedly devised with the assistance of a lawyer or someone else. According to her, it involved delaying paychecks and receiving a small amount of interest, with the option to recuperate it at a later date.
"Financial constraints were becoming quite severe at that time," Bay said. She confirmed that she and Rush had delayed their paychecks. She stated that the request was made only once.
Bay's testimony mirrored that of Phil Brooks, OceanGate's former engineering director, who suggested that the request illustrates the company's economic hardships – difficulties that resulted in compromises to safety.
OceanGate, Brooks mentioned on Monday, requested voluntary paycheck pauses from employees, promising to make up for the missed payments after the new year.
"I don't believe anybody complied, but it was evident that the company was financially strained, leading to decisions that I felt compromised safety excessively," Brooks said.
In the context of safety, Brooks emphasized the need for him and his team to service the submersible at sea, as it was positioned on a platform that bobbed up and down due to being towed by its mother ship or anchored.
"I simply could not carry out this duty... The motivations were financial in nature, and I advocated against it, arguing that it was inadvisable since it was too dangerous," he said.
OceanGate's financial and safety troubles prompted Brooks to leave the company, he explained.
In response to CNN, OceanGate offered its deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who perished in the Titanic's catastrophic explosion.
"OceanGate, which ceased business activities shortly after the tragedy and has no full-time employees, is a party of interest in the Coast Guard hearing. We have been collaborating fully with the Coast Guard and NTSB investigations since their inception, including at the ongoing public hearing convened by the Coast Guard," the statement said.
In addition to Rush, what investigators identified as a "catastrophic implosion" resulted in the deaths of businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman Dawood; businessman Hamish Harding; and French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
Since the Marine Board of Investigation commenced on September 16, the board has listened to testimony implying that OceanGate and Rush prioritized profits over science and safety, disregarding recurring safety warnings from individuals like David Lochridge, the former marine operations director, who claimed to have no faith whatsoever in the Titan's construction.
"It was all smoke and mirrors," Lochridge stated, being dismissed from OceanGate in 2018.
CNN’s Ray Sanchez contributed to this report.
"We were all affected by the financial situation of the company," stated another employee, echoing Bay and Brooks' testimonies.
"Despite the financial struggles, we as a team strongly believed in prioritizing safety over any other concerns," added the employee.
