A 1993 regulation put strict controls on safety standards and who could pilot a submersible.
Rush called these developments "understandable but illogical," saying he felt the law was well meaning but lamenting the stifling effect it put on commercial innovation.
His remarks on safety came as part of a wider set of regrets about how little the US government prioritized ocean research.
A 2019 blog post on OceanGate's website cites speed of innovation as one of the reasons the
Titan isn't classed according to standard regulatory processes. It said that while the company met standards "where they apply," the slow processes of vessel classification were "anathema to innovation."
In a 2019 interview about the Titan, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush lamented the effect of safety regulations on the commercial submersible industry.
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