US Attorney’s office blocks 2024 Titanic expedition.
The United States Government Moves to Block 2024 Titanic Expedition
The United States government is taking action to prevent a planned expedition to the wreckage of the RMS Titanic in 2024. The U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Virginia, is seeking to block Titanic Inc., a Georgia-based company that holds exclusive salvaging rights to the doomed vessel since 1994. This move comes at a time when expeditions to the Titanic are under intense scrutiny, following the tragic incident involving the Titan submersible, which resulted in the loss of five lives on June 18.
Unrelated to the Tragedy
However, it is important to note that the legal action to block the 2024 expedition is not directly related to the June tragedy. The dispute revolves around the company’s intention to salvage parts of the wreck, which the U.S. argues would violate international laws aimed at protecting the Titanic wreckage as a grave site.
In its motion, the U.S. argues that RMS Titanic Inc. must obtain authorization from the Secretary of Commerce before engaging in any activities that would physically alter or disturb the wreck or wreck site of the R.M.S. Titanic, unless authorized by the Secretary of Commerce, as reported by CNN.
Past Expeditions and Current Intentions
Titanic Inc. previously conducted a similar expedition in 2020 to recover the ship’s radio and was granted permission by a U.S. district court. The court ruled that the company’s plan aimed to minimize disturbance to the rest of the Titanic wreck, including the hull of the ship and the remains of the 1,500 individuals lost in the ship’s sinking.
However, in the upcoming 2024 expedition, the company has stated that it does not intend to seek a permit, according to recent filings by the U.S. government.
“RMST is not free to disregard this validly enacted federal law, yet that is its stated intent,” U.S. lawyers stated in court documents, as reported by Sky News. They further added that if the expedition were to proceed, the shipwreck “will be deprived of the protections Congress granted it.”
For more information, click here to visit The Washington Examiner.
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