The US government has dropped its legal action against the company that owns the salvage rights to the Titanic. This decision follows the company’s decision to abandon plans for dives to the shipwreck that could have violated federal law, reports AP News.
Lawsuit Scrapped
Despite the recent legal setback, RMS Titanic Inc. may still pursue future expeditions to the wreck of the Titanic. The company has indicated that it is currently evaluating the implications of this legal ruling.
The U.S. government has withdrawn its legal challenge against RMS Titanic Inc., effectively ending the second legal battle in five years. This withdrawal follows RMST’s plans to capture images within the ship’s hull and recover items from the surrounding debris field, including potential objects from the radio room where the distress calls were made.
The U.S. government’s initial lawsuit aimed to prevent RMST from recovering and exhibiting artifacts from the Titanic. Following the tragic implosion of the Titan submersible, which claimed the life of RMST’s director of underwater research, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, RMST scaled back its planned expedition. The company initially planned to capture images within the ship’s hull and recover artifacts but subsequently revised its plans to focus solely on capturing external images of the wreck.
The U.S. government initially challenged RMST’s expedition plans. However, after RMST revised its plans to exclude interior exploration and artifact recovery, the U.S. government ceased its legal opposition.
Despite withdrawing its opposition to this specific expedition, the U.S. government made it clear that it reserved the right to challenge future expeditions undertaken by RMS Titanic Inc. This indicates the government’s continued interest in regulating and overseeing activities related to the Titanic wreck site.
Titanic Artifacts
RMS Titanic Inc. has informed the court that it has no plans to visit the Titanic wreck site in 2025 and is currently evaluating the strategic, legal, and financial implications of future expeditions.
In response to this announcement, the U.S. government withdrew its motion to intervene in the court proceedings. However, the government explicitly stated its intention to file a new motion to intervene if future circumstances warrant such action.
RMS Titanic Inc. has been the court-recognized steward of Titanic artifacts since 1994. The company has recovered and conserved numerous artifacts, including silverware and a piece of the ship’s hull, which have been exhibited to millions of people.
The company’s last artifact recovery expedition took place in 2010, prior to the enactment of the federal law and the international agreement governing the protection of the Titanic wreck site.
Did you subscribe to our daily Newsletter?
It’s Free Click here to Subscribe!
Source: AP News
