(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Justice Department filed a civil claim Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland against Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited, the Singaporean corporations that owned and operated the containership that destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
In the early morning hours of March 26, the motor vessel Dali left the Port of Baltimore bound for Sri Lanka. While navigating through the Fort McHenry Channel, the vessel lost power, regained power, and then lost power again before striking the bridge. The bridge collapsed and plunged into the water below, killing six people.
In addition to the loss of life, the wreck of Dali and the remnants of the bridge obstructed the navigable channel and brought all shipping into and out of the Port of Baltimore to a standstill. The loss of the bridge also severed a critical highway in the nation’s transportation infrastructure and a key artery for local commuters.
The suit seeks to recover over $100 million in costs the United States incurred in responding to the fatal disaster, and for clearing the entangled wreck and bridge debris from the navigable channel so the port could reopen.
“The Justice Department is committed to ensuring accountability for those responsible for the destruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which resulted in the tragic deaths of six people and disrupted our country’s transportation and defense infrastructure,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland. “With this civil claim, the Justice Department is working to ensure that the costs of clearing the channel and reopening the Port of Baltimore are borne by the companies that caused the crash, not by the American taxpayer.”
The United States led the response efforts of dozens of federal, state and local agencies to remove about 50,000 tons of steel, concrete and asphalt from the channel and from the ship. While these removal operations were underway, the claim alleges that the United States also cleared a series of temporary channels to start relieving the bottleneck at the port and mitigate some of the economic devastation caused by Dali. The Fort McHenry Channel was cleared by June 10, and the Port of Baltimore was once again open for commercial navigation.
“The owner and operator of the Dali were well aware of vibration issues on the vessel that could cause a power outage. But instead of taking necessary precautions, they did the opposite,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer. “Out of negligence, mismanagement, and, at times, a desire to cut costs, they configured the ship’s 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 lawsuit specifically asserts that none of the four means that should have been available to help steer Dali — the propeller, rudder, anchor or bow thruster — worked when they were needed to avert or even mitigate this disaster.
“This was an entirely avoidable catastrophe, resulting from a series of eminently foreseeable errors made by the owner and operator of the Dali,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “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.”
“In so many ways, the Key Bridge has symbolized the resilience of both the state of Maryland and our nation. In a very real way, the Key Bridge was a pathway to the American dream. A part of our culture is gone,” said U.S. Attorney Erek Barron for the District of Maryland. “Those responsible for the Key Bridge collapse will be held accountable.”
The Justice Department’s claim also seeks punitive damages to deter the owner and operator of Dali and others. During a media call announcing the Justice Department’s actions, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Chetan Patil of the Civil Division explained, “This accident happened because of the careless and grossly negligent decisions made by Grace Ocean and Synergy, who recklessly chose to send an unseaworthy vessel to navigate a critical waterway and ignored the risks to American lives and the nation’s infrastructure.”
The department’s claim is part of a legal action the owner and operator of Dali initiated shortly after the tragedy, in which they seek exoneration or limitation of their liability to approximately $44 million.
“Wholly preventable failures by the owner and operator of the Dali caused this tragic incident that cost six bridge construction workers their lives and closed one of the largest ports on the East Coast,” said Rear Adm. Laura Dickey, deputy of operations capability and policy for the U.S. Coast Guard. “The Coast Guard quickly responded by establishing a unified command with federal, state and local stakeholders to rapidly open alternative channels and restore the Port of Baltimore to full operations in just over two months. We stand ready to support the Justice Department to ensure that those responsible for this tragedy pay the costs of reopening the port.”
The claim on behalf of the United States does not include any damages for the reconstruction of the Key Bridge. The state of Maryland built, owned, maintained and operated the bridge, and attorneys on the state’s behalf may file their own claim for those damages. Subsequently, pursuant to the governing regulation, funds recovered by the state of Maryland for reconstruction of the bridge will be used to reduce the project costs paid by federal taxpayers.
The United States is represented in the filed action by attorneys from the Civil Division’s Aviation, Space and Admiralty Litigation Section and from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, Baltimore Division.
Click here to read the complaint.
– U.S. Justice Department
