US Sues Ship Owner, Operator Over Baltimore Bridge Collapse (2)

The US sued the owner and the operator of a Singapore-flagged ship that rammed into a Baltimore bridge in March, the most aggressive action to date in response to a disaster that killed six workers and threw the region’s transportation network into chaos.

The Justice Department is seeking more than $100 million to cover costs the US incurred after the cargo ship Dali destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge and brought operations at the Port of Baltimore to a standstill.

The civil lawsuit alleges the corporations Grace Ocean Pte. Ltd. and Synergy Marine Pte. Ltd. “sent an ill-prepared crew on an abjectly unseaworthy vessel to navigate the United States’ waterways.”

The Dali container vessel after striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024.

Photographer: Bloomberg/Bloomberg

“They did so to reap the benefit of conducting business in American ports,” according to the 53-page lawsuit filed in federal court in Maryland. “Yet they cut corners in ways that risked lives and infrastructure. Those responsible for the vessel must be held fully accountable for the catastrophic harm they caused, and punitive damages should be imposed to deter such misconduct.”

The lawsuit was anticipated, said Darrell Wilson, a spokesman for the companies.

“The owner and manager will have no further comment on the merits of any claim at this time, but we do look forward to our day in court to set the record straight,” Wilson said in an emailed statement.

In the early morning of March 26, video footage showed the vessel hit the bridge, forcing the collapse of the structure. In the aftermath, authorities said six people were killed.

The US government cleared the wreck and bridge debris from the water channel in order to reopen the Port of Baltimore and is seeking to be reimbursed for those costs, according to the lawsuit.

The companies have sought to limit their liability to about $43.7 million. They claimed in a joint petition filed in April that the collapse of the bridge was “not due to any fault, neglect, or want of care” of the companies and that they shouldn’t be held liable for any loss or damage from the disaster.

Shortly after the bridge collapse, the US opened a criminal investigation into the disaster — separate from the civil suit — looking at failures on the ship, events leading up to the collision and whether any federal laws may have been broken.

The Justice Department declined to say whether the criminal probe continues.

(Updates with statement from spokesperson for companies.)

To contact the reporter on this story:
Chris Strohm in Washington at cstrohm1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Sara Forden at sforden@bloomberg.net

Elizabeth Wasserman, Peter Jeffrey

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