US seeks US$100 million from owner of ship that destroyed Baltimore bridge

BALTIMORE: The US Justice Department filed a lawsuit on Wednesday seeking more than US$100 million from the Singapore owner and operator of a cargo ship that destroyed a Baltimore bridge.
The 300-meter M/V Dali collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, killing six road workers and blocking the busy shipping channel.
The civil suit against Grace Ocean Private and Synergy Marine Private was filed in the US District Court for the District of Maryland.
“The Justice Department is committed to ensuring accountability for those responsible for the destruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
“But instead of taking necessary precautions, they did the opposite.
“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,” Mizer said.
“As a result, when the Dali lost power, a cascading set of failures led to disaster.”
The Justice Department suit comes after Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine filed a legal action of their own earlier this year seeking to limit their liability to US$44 million.