The owner and operator of the cargo vessel, predominantly manned by an Indian crew, which collided with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, resulting in the deaths of six individuals, have reached an agreement to pay $102 million to the federal government, as announced by the US Justice Department on October 24. In September, the department initiated a civil lawsuit seeking $103 million from two Singaporean firms, Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited. This legal action aimed to recover the expenses incurred by the US government in response to the incident, including the removal of the wreckage of the Dali ship and the debris from the bridge, which was necessary for the reopening of the waterway in June. Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer emphasized that the settlement guarantees that the financial burden of the federal government’s cleanup operations in the Fort McHenry Channel will be shouldered by Grace Ocean and Synergy, rather than the American taxpayer.The National Transportation Safety Board reported in May that the Dali experienced multiple instances of electrical failure prior to its collision with a bridge over the Patapsco River on the morning of March 26. In April, the FBI initiated a criminal investigation into the incident.
The lawsuit filed by the Justice Department was part of a legal maneuver by Grace Ocean and Synergy to cap their liability for the crash at $44 million, a figure that officials from the department deemed “woefully inadequate.” The vessel struck a support pylon, resulting in the bridge collapsing into the river. The process of reopening the area necessitated the removal of 50,000 tons of debris. Over 1,500 responders, along with 500 specialists from various countries, coordinated a fleet of boats during the operation, which involved collaboration among 56 federal, state, and local agencies. The state of Maryland has projected that the cost to rebuild the bridge will range from $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion, with an expected completion date in the fall of 2028. Additionally, Maryland has filed separate claims against the companies involved to cover the expenses related to the bridge, cleanup operations, environmental damages, and other associated costs. The funds recovered by Maryland for the bridge reconstruction will be allocated to offset the project costs borne by the federal government, according to the Department of Justice.
