DOJ Files $100 Million Lawsuit Over Cargo Ship That Hit Baltimore Bridge

In an aerial view, salvage crews remove wreckage from the cargo ship Dali after it struck and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore Harbor, Md., on April 9, 2024. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against the owner and manager of the cargo ship that collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in March in a bid to recover more than $100 million that authorities spent to clear the debris from the bridge collapse and reopen the port.

The lawsuit, announced on Sept. 18 by the DOJ, alleges that the cargo ship Dali suffered from technical problems because of bad maintenance and improper configuration, causing the vessel to lose power and veer off course before striking the bridge. The subsequent collapse left six people dead.

“This tragedy was entirely avoidable,” the DOJ’s complaint, which was filed in a district court in Maryland, reads. “The electrical and mechanical systems on the DALI were improperly maintained and configured in a way that violated safety regulations and norms for international shipping. These problems precipitated a power loss and then a cascading series of failures that culminated in the allision.”

“Allision” is a term that refers to a moving vessel’s striking a stationary object or vessel.

The DOJ is seeking more than $100 million in damages from the ship’s owner, Grace Ocean Private Ltd., and its manager, Synergy Marine Group, both of Singapore.

A spokesperson for the two companies told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that the filing of today’s claim by the DOJ was anticipated.

“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,” the spokesperson said.

The companies filed a petition shortly after the collision seeking to cap their liability at roughly $43.6 million.

Alleged Negligence

Citing the “unseaworthy condition” of the ship, the complaint alleges that none of the four means available to control the vessel—the propeller, rudder, anchor, and bow thruster—worked properly when they were needed to prevent the crash.

“The suit seeks to recover the costs incurred by the United States in responding to this disaster, which include removing the bridge parts from the channel and those parts that were entangled with the vessel, as well as abating the substantial risk of oil pollution,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the DOJ’s Civil Division, said in a statement.

A Maryland-licensed pilot was guiding the Dali from Baltimore’s port to the Chesapeake Bay on March 26 when the ship lost power after its transformer failed because of longstanding vibration issues, according to the complaint. A backup transformer should have restored power automatically, but this safety feature had been disabled, it said.

Ship engineers managed to briefly restore power by manually resetting the breakers, but the Dali lost power for a second time because of an improper fuel pump setup meant to cut costs, the DOJ alleges.

The post-crash cleanup and recovery effort involved dozens of federal, state, and local agencies, costing taxpayers more than $100 million. The DOJ has asked the court to order the companies to cover these costs and to impose unspecified punitive damages to deter reckless conduct.

Separately, the families of the six construction workers killed in the incident have announced plans to take legal action against the owner and manager of the Dali, arguing that the companies acted with negligence and ignored problems with the ship before the crash.

*This article has been updated with comments received from a spokesperson for Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and Synergy Marine Group.