Singapore-based owner, operator of ship that caused Baltimore bridge collapse to pay US$102 million in settlement with US

WASHINGTON: The owner and manager of the cargo ship that caused the Baltimore bridge collapse have agreed to pay US$102 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the Justice Department, officials said on Thursday (Oct 24).

“Nearly seven months after one of the worst transportation disasters in recent memory, which claimed six lives and caused untold damage, we have reached an important milestone with today’s settlement,” Benjamin Mizer, a senior Justice Department official, said in a statement.

The settlement comes a month after the Justice Department sued Dali owner Grace Ocean Private Ltd and manager Synergy Marine Group, both of Singapore, seeking to recover funds the government spent to clear the underwater debris and reopen the city’s port, which was closed to most maritime traffic for months after the deadly collapse.

The settlement does not include any damages for rebuilding the bridge, officials said in a news release announcing the agreement. The construction project could cost close to US$2 billion. The state of Maryland filed its own claim seeking those damages, officials said.

“This resolution ensures that the costs of the federal government’s clean-up efforts in the Fort McHenry Channel are borne by Grace Ocean and Synergy and not the American taxpayer,” Mizer said.

The Justice Department alleged that the electrical and mechanical systems on the ship, the Dali, were improperly maintained, causing it to lose power and veer off course before striking a support column on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March.

The ship was leaving Baltimore for Sri Lanka when its steering failed because of the power loss.

The Justice Department’s lawsuit was brought as part of a legal action initiated by Grace Ocean and Synergy to limit their liability for the crash to US$44 million, a sum department officials called “woefully inadequate”.

Six men on a road crew, who were filling potholes during an overnight shift, fell to their deaths. The collapse snarled commercial shipping traffic through the Port of Baltimore for months before the channel was fully opened in June.

The reopening required the removal of 50,000 tonnes of debris. More than 1,500 individual responders, along with 500 specialists from around the world, operated a fleet of boats during the operation, which involved 56 federal, state, and local agencies.