Editor-DN
While leaving the port of Baltimore for Sri Lanka, Dali lost power and crashed into a bridge. (file)
Washington:
The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking more than $100 million from the Singaporean owner and operator of a cargo ship that destroyed a Baltimore bridge.
The 1,000-foot (300 m) M/V Dali collided with Francis Scott’s bridge on March 26, killing six road workers and blocking the busy shipping channel.
The civil suit against Grace Ocean Private and Synergy Marine Private was filed in the US District Court for the District of Maryland.
“The Department of Justice remains committed to ensuring accountability for those responsible for the Francis Scott Bridge disaster,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
“With this civil lawsuit, the Department of Justice is working to ensure that the costs of cleaning up the channel and reopening the Port of Baltimore are borne by the companies that caused the accident, not the American taxpayer. “
The Justice Department said the lawsuit is aimed at recovering more than $100 million in costs to respond to the disaster and remove tons of debris from the bridges.
While leaving the port of Baltimore for Sri Lanka, Dali lost power and crashed into a bridge.
Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mazer said the owner and operator of the Dali “is well aware of the vibration issues on the ship that can cause power outages.
“But instead of taking necessary precautions, they did the opposite.
Mizer said, “Out of negligence, mismanagement, and, at times, a desire to cut costs, they configured the ship’s electrical and mechanical systems in such a way that these systems would quickly resume propulsion and steering after a power outage. Prevented from restoring from.” .
“As a result, when Dali lost power, a cascade of failures led to disaster.”
The Justice Department lawsuit comes after Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine tried to limit their liability to $44 million earlier this year.
The Justice Department’s lawsuit does not seek damages for the ultimate costs of rebuilding the bridge. This is expected to be the subject of a separate claim from the state of Maryland.
The families of the six road workers who lost their lives are also pursuing their legal claims.
The Fort McHenry Channel that leads to the Port of Baltimore, a major hub for the auto industry, reopened to commercial navigation on June 10.
(Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
