Since then, the wreck has been visited by explorers, tourists, and submersibles. However, time is destroying the wreck. A rust-eating bacterium, Halomonas titanicae , is consuming the steel, turning it into "rusticles." Scientists predict that by 2030 or 2050, the Titanic's recognizable structure will collapse into a brown stain on the seabed.

: International agreements and the Consolidated Appropriations Act prohibit unauthorized physical alterations to the wreck site [15].

: Included 16 watertight compartments with remotely activated doors [6, 10].