The US Government is using the US District Court in Norfolk , Virginia , to undertake to blockade the next stumble to the wreckage of the Titanic .
Many shipwrecks , such asmilitary shipsthat have settle in US waters , are off - limits to explorers , tourists , and mass looking to salvagebooty . The Titanic , lying ininternational water supply , is protected by the United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ) , as well as a laterUS - UK treatyaimed at preserving the wreck and preventing looting .
However , people are still allowed to dive down to the Titanic and can obtain permits to enter the Isaac Hull if they have the resource useable to them to take them down there . Only one companionship – RMS Titanic Inc. – is legally allowed to salvage items from the wreck , thanks to salvage right granted to the party by the US District Court in Norfolk , Virginia ( which specializes in shipwreck and salvage ) nearlythree decades ago .
However , the US Government is attempting to hold back an forthcoming expedition by RMS Titanic aimed at recovering item from the wreckage , attempting to exercise the right hand to veto trips they object to . Under the US - UK treaty , which Congressenacted in 2017 , “ no person shall lead any enquiry , geographic expedition , salvage , or other activeness that would physically interpolate or stir up the shipwreck or wreck site of the RMS Titanic unless authorized by the Secretary of Commerce . "
The company had primitively planned to recuperate aMarconi radio telegraphfrom the ship , which was used to make distress calls . This prompted the government to file a legal challenge , but the misstep was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . In June , theNew York Timesreports , the company told the court they again planned to recover the telegraphy and other artifacts , whilst also snap the ship ’s interior using removed vehicle . The government has business concern that the wreckage , including human remains at the land site , could be upset by the head trip , grant toAP News .
RMS Titanic said that it planned to take only costless - standing detail which are not append to theTitanic , and reach the internal only " where deterioration has opened chasms sufficient to permit a remotely operated vehicle to penetrate the Isaac Hull without intervene with the current social structure , ” reports AP News .
“ The troupe believes it continue the right to continue to conduct salvage activities at the wreck site , " attorney for RMS Titanic Brian A. Wainger , said in a statement seen by the New York Times , " without seeking or incur favorable reception from any third - political party other than the U.S. District Court which uphold legal power over the wreck site . "
The battle could take years , and perhaps even go to the Supreme Court .
