When the remains of the Titanic came to light in 1985, Congress called for a global accord regarding the wreckage, as the wreck lay in international waters. Until then, Congress declared, “no person should physically alter, disturb, or salvage the R.M.S. Titanic.”
But as nations debated what such an agreement would look like, American salvors moved in; over the years, thousands of artifacts have been retrieved, and now, the federal government is taking legal action to assert control over who can recover more and, potentially, to block an expedition planned for next year.
Last Friday, in a federal court in Norfolk, Virginia, a pair of US attorneys filed a motion to intervene in a decades-old salvage operation. The Virginia court specializes in cases of shipwreck recovery and in 1994 granted exclusive salvage rights to Georgia-based RMS Titanic, Inc.. The company has retrieved many artifacts from the ship and has set up a number of public exhibitions.
However, with the motion, the federal government is seeking to become involved in the salvage case and veto any expedition it deems objectionable. It claims to have authority via the Secretary of Commerce and its maritime unit, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, to approve or deny permission to access the Titanic, rather than the current system of the company asking the court.
“The company believes it retains the right to continue to conduct salvage activities at the wreck site, without seeking or obtaining approval from any third parties other than the U.S. District Court which maintains jurisdiction over the wreck site,” Brian A. Wainger, a lawyer for RMS Titanic, said in a statement.
Legal experts are already predicting a years-long legal battle, one that could even end up at the Supreme Court.
