Court hearing to discuss contested Titanic expedition is canceled after firm scales back dive plan

By BEN FINLEY
Associated Press

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A federal admiralty court in Virginia has canceled a hearing to discuss a contested expedition to the Titanic shipwreck. The cancellation comes after a company significantly scaled back its dive plans. RMST Titanic Inc. owns the salvage rights to the Titanic. It originally planned to possibly retrieve artifacts from inside the Titanic’s hull. That prompted the U.S. government to try to stop the expedition. U.S. attorneys say federal law restricts entry into the hull because the wreck is considered a grave site. The company said Thursday that it no longer plans to retrieve artifacts or do anything else that might involve the federal law.