The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking over $100 million from the owner and operator of the Dali, the container ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse.
The Justice Department filed a claim in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland on Wednesday against Singaporean companies Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and Synergy Marine Private Ltd. The suit hopes to recoup costs incurred in reopening access to the Port of Baltimore.
Container ship Dali, bound for Sri Lanka, smashed into the Key Bridge on March 26 after losing power. Within seconds of the collision, the bridge crumbled into the water below, killing six construction workers. The bridge’s collapse shuttered the shipping lanes for the Port of Baltimore, which is a hub for vehicles, including light trucks, as well as various bulk goods. The closure dealt a blow to the state’s economy.
“The Justice Department is committed to ensuring accountability for those responsible for the destruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which resulted in the tragic deaths of six people and disrupted our country’s transportation and defense infrastructure,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement. “With this civil claim, the Justice Department is working to ensure that the costs of clearing the channel and reopening the Port of Baltimore are borne by the companies that caused the crash, not by the American taxpayer.”
The United States coordinated with local, state and federal agencies to remove some 50,000 tons of debris from the shipping channel, as well as the Dali itself.
Dali catastrophe was ‘entirely avoidable’
Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer said in the announcement about the suit that the Dali’s owner and operator “were well aware” of vibration issues on the vessel that could cause a power outage.
“Out of negligence, mismanagement, and, at times, a desire to cut costs, they configured the ship’s electrical and mechanical systems in a way that prevented those systems from being able to quickly restore propulsion and steering after a power outage,” he said. “As a result, when the DALI lost power, a cascading set of failures led to disaster.”
The ship should have had a working propeller, rudder, anchor or bow thruster to steer the vessel — but none worked, the suit says. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, said the catastrophe was “entirely avoidable.”
The disaster also brought a substantial risk of oil pollution.
The owner and operator of the Dali is seeking to cap liability at $44 million.
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