Baltimore files claim against owners of ship in bridge crash

The City of Baltimore on Monday filed claims against the Singapore-based companies that owned and managed the freight ship Dali, which crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge last month.

Ship owner Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and manager Synergy Marine Pte Ltd. earlier this month jointly asked the court to either exonerate them or limit their liability for the disaster. The city filed a response to the companies’ claim and a new claim alleging the companies should face responsibility for the disaster.

What happened during the incident? Around 1:30 a.m. on March 26, the freight ship Dali crashed into a pillar of the bridge in Baltimore, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority. The bridge collapse killed six men who were working on the roadway at the time of the crash. Divers have recovered four of the bodies, officials said in an update last week.

What do the city’s claims allege? The city claimed that the freight ship was not seaworthy, and was not staffed with a competent crew. City attorneys also wrote that the owner and manager also failed to provide competent supervisors over the incompetent crew.

Why did the companies say they shouldn’t face responsibility? In court filings, the companies allege that the incident did not arise from any negligence or any faulty actions on their part. The owner and manager said that neither the vessel, its crew, nor other representatives for the companies did anything wrong. WORLD reached out to the companies for comment on the city’s claims.

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report in The Stew about how funding to repair the Francis Scott Key Bridge has hit roadblocks.