A Titanic request

Concerned by the increasingly sophisticated equipment being used to visit the wreck site of the RMS Titanic which was identified in 1985, the United Kingdom and the United States of America have submitted a request to the International Maritime Organisation for other member states to accede to the Agreement concerning the Shipwrecked Vessel RMS Titanic.

“Whilst the sinking of the Titanic was undoubtedly a human tragedy, all nations have benefitted from the safety improvements which arose from the aftermath and we owe it to those who gave their lives to ensure that their memory is not forgotten and that the wreck is protected and preserved for future generations”, reads the request.

The Agreement, which was developed by the UK, the USA, France and Canada, entered into force for the UK and the USA in 2019. The Agreement recognises that in-situ preservation is the ‘most effective way to ensure such protection, unless otherwise justified by educational, scientific or cultural interests’.

Since then, the UK and US have worked together to encourage other nations to sign the Agreement to ensure a standardised, international approach to preserving the wreck site.

The signatories to the agreement believe that the increase in the use of sophisticated equipment to visit the wreck site could detrimentally affect the preservation of the wreck site as more people visit; and the UK and USA are offering to provide guidance and assistance to any government with an interest in acceding to the Agreement.

Discovered on 1 September 1985, the Titanic is arguably the most famous shipwreck in the world.