Firm Ends Plans to Salvage More Titanic Artifacts, Ending Legal Dispute

Newport News: The U.S. government has decided to drop its legal battle against the company that holds the salvage rights to the Titanic. They noted that the firm, RMS Titanic Inc., has no current plans to explore the wreck, which could violate federal law.

This doesn’t mean RMS Titanic Inc. is done trying to recover more artifacts. They mentioned they’re still thinking about future expeditions. Just last month, they said they were weighing their options.

The government’s withdrawal from the case marks the end of two legal fights over five years. The latest challenge came when the company planned to take images inside the ship and possibly recover items from the debris field.

The U.S. argued that disturbing the wreck would break a 2017 federal law and an agreement with Great Britain, which sees the site as a memorial for the over 1,500 lives lost in 1912.

After some back and forth, RMS Titanic Inc. decided to only take external images of the wreck. This change came after a tragic incident involving the Titan submersible, which resulted in the loss of several lives, including the company’s underwater research director.

With the revised plans, the U.S. stopped trying to block the expedition, which successfully captured detailed images of the wreck. However, the government indicated it might challenge future expeditions.

RMS Titanic Inc. has been the recognized steward of Titanic artifacts since 1994, recovering thousands of items that have been displayed to millions. Their last artifact recovery was in 2010, before new laws came into effect.

The judge overseeing the salvage matters has warned that time is running out for expeditions inside the Titanic, as the ship is deteriorating quickly on the ocean floor.