The Justice Department is suing the owners and operators of the Dali container ship that crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26. The accident caused the bridge to collapse into the water and ended up killing six people.
The government is accusing Singapore companies Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Group of negligence in maintaining the ship over cost-cutting concerns. According to the DOJ, the disaster was “entirely avoidable.”
The U.S. is seeking more than $100 million to cover the costs of the government’s response to the disaster and the months of work to clear the wreckage from the waterway.
The lawsuit, filed in Maryland, lays out what investigators found out about the ship the night it lost power twice before slamming into the bridge.
“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,” the lawsuit states. “None of the four means available to help control the Dali — her propeller, rudder, anchor, or bow thruster — worked when they were needed to avert or even mitigate this disaster.”
The destruction of the Key Bridge caused economic losses, as the city of Baltimore had to close the Port of Baltimore for months to clean up bridge debris.
“The bridge was a primary route for transporting hazardous cargoes to and from the Port of Baltimore,” the lawsuit states. “It took months to restore the Fort McHenry Channel and reopen the port to its normal capacity, and it will take years to build a new bridge.”
The collapse claimed the lives of six Latino immigrant workers. The families of three of those construction workers are also taking legal action against the owner of the Dali.
Officials have committed to rebuilding the bridge, with estimated costs soaring to at least $1.7 billion and a timeline that could stretch over several years.
