Cargo ship owners settle $100M lawsuit over Baltimore bridge collapse

In this aerial image, the steel frame of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sits on top of a container ship after the bridge collapsed, Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024. (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON – The owner and manager of the cargo ship that caused the Baltimore bridge collapse have agreed to pay more than $100 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the Justice Department, officials said Thursday.
The settlement comes a month after the Justice Department sued Dali owner Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and manager Synergy Marine Group, both of Singapore, seeking to recover more than $100 million that the government spent to clear the underwater debris and reopen the city’s port.

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Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has filed a lawsuit against Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., the owners and managers of the M/V Dali, for the ship’s collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge which resulted in the bridge’s destruction and long-term economic and travel disruptions to the region.
“This resolution ensures that the costs of the federal government’s cleanup efforts in the Fort McHenry Channel are borne by Grace Ocean and Synergy and not the American taxpayer,” Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer said in a statement.
READ MORE: Baltimore bridge collapse: Families of victims to file lawsuit
The Justice Department alleged that the electrical and mechanical systems on the ship, the Dali, were improperly maintained, causing it to lose power and veer off course before striking a support column on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March.
The collapse snarled commercial shipping traffic through the Port of Baltimore for months before the channel was fully opened in June.
The Department of Justice has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the owner and operator of the ship that crashed into the Baltimore Key Bridge earlier this year, killing six people.