In a recent development, the Singaporean companies responsible for the operation of the cargo ship Dali, which caused the catastrophic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March 2024, have agreed to a settlement exceeding $100 million with the Department of Justice.
The settlement is intended to reimburse the public funds expended in response to the disaster and the subsequent repair of the bridge. The companies, Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited, have consented to pay $101,908,000 to settle the civil claim initiated in September, according to a Department of Justice press release.
As reported by The Post Millennial, the Department of Justice stated that the settlement funds "will go to the US Treasury and to the budgets of several federal agencies directly affected by the allision or involved in the response." On the fateful morning of March 26, the Dali, en route to Sri Lanka from Baltimore, experienced multiple power failures. Following the second power outage, the vessel collided with one of the bridge's supports, leading to the bridge's catastrophic collapse into the water, resulting in six fatalities. The aftermath of the collapse saw the wreckage of the Dali and the bridge obstructing the Port of Baltimore and severing I-695, a significant Baltimore roadway.
The cleanup operation involved the removal of approximately 50,000 tons of steel, concrete, and asphalt from the Fort McHenry Channel and the Dali. By June 10, the channel was cleared, and the port was reopened.
In September, when the lawsuit was initiated, Justice Department lawyer Benjamin C. Mizer stated, "We allege that the Dalis owner and operator recklessly cut corners in ways that risked lives and the economic well-being of the nation. He further added, "Out of negligence, mismanagement, and, at times, a desire to cut costs, they configured the ships electrical and mechanical systems in a way that prevented those systems from being able to quickly restore propulsion and steering after a power outage. As a result, when the DALI lost power, a cascading set of failures led to disaster.
The press release on Wednesday clarified that the settlement "does not include any damages for the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge," and that "The State of Maryland built, owned, maintained, and operated the bridge, and attorneys on the states behalf filed their own claim for those damages." This story is still developing, and updates will be provided as they become available.
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