A former employee of OceanGate - the company that operates the missing Titan submersible - warned of potential safety problems with the vessel as far back as 2018.
Ednews informs via BBC that US court documents show that David Lochridge, the company's Director of Marine Operations, had raised concerns in an inspection report.
The report "identified numerous issues that posed serious safety concerns", according to the documents, including the way the hull had been tested.
Mr Lochridge "stressed the potential danger to passengers of the Titan as the submersible reached extreme depths". He said his warnings were ignored and called a meeting with OceanGate bosses but was fired, according to the documents.
The company sued him for revealing confidential information, and he countersued for unfair dismissal. The lawsuit was later settled but we don't know the details of the settlement.
The BBC tried to contact Mr Lochridge but he is not commenting.
Separately, a letter sent to OceanGate by the Marine Technology Society (MTS) in March 2018 and obtained by the New York Times, stated "the current 'experimental' approach adopted by OceanGate... could result in negative outcomes (from minor to catastrophic)".
A spokesman for OceanGate declined to comment on the safety issues raised by Mr Lochridge and the MTS.
The Titan submersible, described as "experimental" by the company, was built from an unusual material for a deep sea vessel.
Its hull - surrounding the hollow part where passengers sit - was made from carbon fibre, with titanium end plates and a small window at one end.
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