TheAgreement Concerning the Shipwrecked Vessel RMSTitanic is atreaty open to all states regarding the protection ofthe shipwreck of the RMSTitanic. Following the passage of theRMSTitanic Maritime Memorial Act in 1986, theUnited States began negotiations in 1997 with theUnited Kingdom,France, andCanada toward an agreement to protect the wreck. The agreement was signed by the UK in 2003 and by the US in 2004. It was not until 2019 that the US ratified the agreement, bringing it into effect on 18 November, the day of deposit of the instrument of ratification.
Negotiations between theUnited Kingdom, United States,France, and Canada began in 1997, and were concluded on 5 January 2000 producing an agreement.[5][6] The UK signed the resulting agreement on 6 November 2003,[7] using a "definitive signature without reservation as to ratification",[8] and passed The Protection of Wrecks (RMS Titanic) Order 2003 under the Merchant Shipping Act to implement it.[9] The United States signed the agreement on 18 June 2004.[7]
It was not until 18 November 2019 that the treaty was ratified byUS Secretary of State,Mike Pompeo, on behalf of the United States.[2] On that date, the instrument of ratification wasdeposited with the United Kingdom and the agreement went into effect.[11] The treaty required ratification by only two of the four negotiating parties for it to become effective.[12] The treaty requires both the United Kingdom and the United States to regulate persons and vessels under their respectivejurisdictions in their interactions with the wreck.[13] Specifically, both countries can grant or deny licenses to permit entry into the shipwreck or to remove items from it. The UK has expressed its intention to urge other North Atlantic countries to join the agreement, especially Canada and France.[2]
Aznar, Mariano J.; Varmer, Ole (2013). "TheTitanic as Underwater Cultural Heritage: Challenges to its Legal International Protection".Ocean Development & International Law.44 (1):96–112.doi:10.1080/00908320.2013.750978.S2CID154643759.
Agreement Concerning the Shipwrecked Vessel RMS Titanic atWikisource
