US authorities seek to block auction of Titanic artifacts

US authorities have moved to prevent the sale of artifacts recovered from the wreck of the RMS Titanic, the passenger liner that sank in 1912.

According to the Associated Press, cited by Report, RMS Titanic Inc., the company holding exclusive rights to recover items from the shipwreck site, plans to auction a number of artifacts retrieved from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

The company had previously agreed that recovered objects would be displayed exclusively in museums and traveling exhibitions. However, it now intends to sell personal belongings of passengers and crew members, kitchenware, and pieces of the ship's interior.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) argues that the proposed sale violates earlier agreements.

As a result, NOAA has filed a request with the court seeking to halt the auction and prevent the items from being sold.