Cargo ship owner must pay $102 million over Baltimore bridge collapse

(CLO) The owner and operator of the cargo ship that collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in March, causing the deaths of six people, has agreed to pay $102 million to the US federal government, the US Justice Department announced on Thursday.

The US Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit in September, seeking $103 million in damages from two Singaporean companies, Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited.

A view of the Dali cargo ship crashing into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse, in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., April 4, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Nathan Howard

The lawsuit seeks to recover money the U.S. government spent responding to the disaster and clearing the wreckage of the Dali and bridge debris from Baltimore Harbor to reopen the waterway in June.

The agreement “ensures that the federal cleanup costs at the Fort McHenry Channel are borne by Grace Ocean and Synergy, rather than passed on to American taxpayers,” said Benjamin Mizer, deputy general counsel for the Justice Department.

The Dali lost power several times before crashing into a bridge on the Patapsco River on the morning of March 26, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board in May. The FBI opened a criminal investigation into the incident in April.

The Justice Department lawsuit is part of a legal action brought by Grace Ocean and Synergy to limit their liability for the accident to $44 million, an amount that Justice Department officials described as “grossly inadequate.”

The collision caused the train to hit a support pillar, causing part of the bridge to collapse into the river.

About 50,000 tons of debris were cleared to reopen the route. More than 1,500 response personnel, along with 500 experts from around the world, operated a massive fleet in the operation, involving 56 agencies at the federal, state and local levels.

The state of Maryland, which expects to spend between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion to rebuild the bridge with a completion date of fall 2028, has filed a separate claim from the companies for bridge construction, cleanup, environmental protection and other costs.

Hong Hanh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ship-owner-has-to-pay-102-million-dollar-payment-for-baltimore-cau-sap-post318388.html