The company that has exclusive rights to salvage the Titanic is planning a possible expedition to the world's most famous shipwreck in 2010. The first expedition to the North Atlantic wreck site since 2004 is revealed in a filing by RMS Titanic Inc. in US District Court, where four days of hearings began Monday on the company's claim for a salvage award. They are intended to establish legal guarantees that thousands of Titanic artifacts remain intact as a collection and forever accessible to the public. The 5,900 pieces of china, ship fittings and personal belongings are valued in excess of $110 million and are displayed around the world by Premier Exhibitions Inc. RMS Titanic is a subsidiary of Premier. The Titanic has been subject to competing legal claims since an international team led by oceanographer Robert Ballard found it in 1985. Since then, RMS Titanic has retrieved artifacts during six dives.
