US Attorney’s Office Files Legal Motion To Block A Titanic Expedition Planned For 2024

US Attorney’s Office Files Legal Motion To Block A Titanic Expedition Planned For 2024

The US government has taken legal action to halt a planned Titanic expedition scheduled for 2024, citing a law designed to preserve the shipwreck as a gravesite.

The expedition is organized by RMS Titanic Inc., the company that holds exclusive salvage rights to the Titanic’s remains. The legal dispute comes a few months after a Titanic tourist submersible vessel went missing and imploded, resulting in the deaths of all five passengers.

The US government’s motion is unrelated to that incident, as it pertains to an effort to recover items from the shipwreck site rather than a tour.

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In the motion filed in a federal court in Virginia, the US government argues that RMS Titanic Inc. must secure authorization from the Secretary of Commerce before conducting any research, exploration, salvage, or other activities that could physically alter or disturb the wreck or wreck site of the R.M.S. Titanic, unless specifically authorized by the Secretary of Commerce.

The Titanic’s remains were first discovered in 1985, prompting Congress to pass the Titanic Memorial Act in 1986 to protect the wreck site from potential harm or alteration by American salvors. The Act authorized the State Department and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which falls under the Department of Commerce, to negotiate an international agreement, which came into force in 2019.

RMS Titanic Inc. obtained salvage rights through a court order issued by the US District Court in Norfolk, Virginia, in June 1994. The US government argues that, according to the international agreement, RMS Titanic Inc. must adhere to federal law.

A similar legal battle occurred in 2020 when RMS Titanic Inc. sought to recover the ship’s radio, a request that was granted by a US district judge. The judge’s decision stated that the company’s plan aimed to minimize disturbance to the Titanic wreck and the remains of those who perished. However, the US government challenged the mission, which ultimately did not proceed.

RMS Titanic Inc. indicated in a report filed in June that it is planning a 2024 expedition but does not intend to seek a permit, according to the motion filed by the US government.

The US Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Virginia provided limited comments to CNN, while RMS Titanic Inc. and the company’s legal representation have not issued statements in response to the legal action.

The Titanic, on its maiden voyage, sank on April 14, 1912, after colliding with an iceberg in the North Atlantic. The ship did not carry enough lifeboats for its approximately 2,220 passengers and crew, resulting in the loss of over 1,500 lives and becoming one of the most renowned shipwrecks in history.