The owner and manager of the cargo ship responsible for the Baltimore bridge collapse agreed to pay over $100 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department as announced by officials on Thursday 25.
This settlement follows a recent lawsuit by the Justice Department against Dali owner Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and manager Synergy Marine Group, both based in Singapore, aiming to recover more than $100 million the government spent to clear underwater debris and reopen the city’s port.
“This resolution ensures that the costs of the federal government’s cleanup efforts in the Fort McHenry Channel are borne by Grace Ocean and Synergy and not the American taxpayer,” Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer said in a statement.
The Justice Department alleged that the electrical and mechanical systems on the ship, the Dali, were improperly maintained, causing it to lose power and veer off course before striking a support column on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March.
The collapse snarled commercial shipping traffic through the Port of Baltimore for months before the channel was fully opened in June.
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