United States: The owners of a container ship that rammed through the famous Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore have been told to pay over USD 100 million by the US government, the US Justice Department said.
Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited, the companies of Dali, have agreed to pay in a month-long civil lawsuit.
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According to the justice department, the collision, which took place on 26 March, had killed six and caused tonnes of debris into the river, “one of the worst transportation disasters in recent memory”.
As per the decision, the payments would go into the US treasury, as well as other federal agencies that were directly affected by the incident.
According to Brian Boynton, head of the justice department’s civil division, “This is a tremendous outcome that fully compensates the United States for the costs it incurred in responding to this disaster and holds the owner and operator of the Dali accountable,” BBC News reported.
The department concluded that the settlement reached no damages to reconstruct Francis Scott Key Bridge. For those damages, the state has filed its own claim.
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According to the Synergy statement, the settlement “strictly covers costs related to clearing the channel” and is “not indicative of any liability.”
“No punitive damages have been imposed as part of this settlement. In accordance with the settlement, the United States has dismissed its claim,” it continued.
The US attributed the occurrence to the ship’s electrical/mechanical system vulnerability. It accused the Dali of being poorly maintained, a hurdle it claimed made the ship develop a mechanical malfunction and power loss, and it ended up ramming into a bridge column.
Details of the incident
In the collision, six men – all construction workers repairing road potholes on the bridge were drowned in water after a container ship rammed into the construction.
In response, the US has coordinated dozens of federal, state, and local agencies to clear more than 50,000 tonnes of steel, concrete, and asphalt from the shipping channel and from Dali, a statement from the justice department showed.
The collapse of the bridge also brought “economic devastation” as navigation was paralyzed. At the same time, commercial movement of ships was allowed in June in the Port of Baltimore.
It also closed a major throughway for people in the region.
