The owner and operator of the Dali, the cargo ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, are asking a federal court to limit their liability in the disaster that collapsed the bridge and killed six people.
Grace Ocean, the owner of the Singapore-flagged Dali, and Synergy Marine, the manager of the ship, filed a joint petition Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland seeking to cap liability at about $43.7 million. The Dali, which was carrying about 4,700 containers, crashed into the Key Bridge in the early morning of March 26. Within moments, the bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River, killing two construction workers; four remain missing and are presumed dead.
The petition says the ship left the Port of Baltimore around 12:40 a.m. that day, with two tugs alongside and a pilot on board. After the tugs cast off the ship, the Dali entered the shipping channel around 1:08 a.m. Seven to 10 minutes later, the ship lost power and propulsion before briefly regaining power only to lose it again moments later.
The crew dropped anchor after losing power a second time, the petition says. The Dali crashed into the bridge around 1:28 a.m.
The companies want to limit their liability to $43.67 million, which is the value of the ship and cargo minus the cost for repairs and salvage, the petition says. The filing is a routine procedure for cases litigated under U.S. maritime law.
The bridge’s collapse and subsequent closure of the Port of Baltimore is expected to have a major negative impact on the global freight industry and the Maryland economy. The port in 2023 handled a record $80 billion of foreign cargo.
Officials have vowed to clear the channel as quickly as possible to begin shipping from the port once again. Crews have started removing the bridge wreckage.
Virg
We live in a world of litigation, blame and no REASONABLE solutions. I own the domain solvetheworldsproblems.com
Id GLADLY give the domain away to anyone who could come up with a solution to this now clean up and shipping problem. Billions of dollars are being lost in this disaster.
Lets ALL come together and figure this out. Because, what do we have if we don’t have each other?
Shrek
Not a surprise, this is based on maritime law that goes back to the Titanic. Ocean vessels don’t just go in and out of the ports as they please, vessel was under the command of the Harbor Pilot. Harbor Pilots work under the umbrella of the Port Authority, does that make the Port Authority liable? Maersk Line, one of the top ocean carriers in the world, was leasing the vessel. How much liability does Maersk bear? What about the lack of protection around the bridge support? The list goes on. There is a large bill to pay and everyone involved is going to do what they can to limit the payment. Sadly six people lost their lives, and there’s a pretty good chance nothing proactively will be done in harbor channels to reduce the risk of this happening again.
anonymous
What a joke.
This is what insurance is supposed to be be for. Imagine a scenario where someone comes to your city and causes a historical disaster, killing 6 people. Afterwards that party claims that “well since the boat I was driving is only worth $47 million, thats how much we should be liable for”.
Its disgusting and tells me they really don’t give a damn about anything except money.
In what world should taxpayers have to pay for this?
ed blaine
what a joke, the lawyer fees will total more than that. the US taxpayer should not be on the hook for its replacement. clean up the mess, rebuild ASAP, settle with the loss of the 6 employees, hand the bills to the insurance company’s involved, until it is finally finished and replaced completely.