Baltimore bridge collapse: US government gets $100m settlement

Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited, which owned and operated the vessel Dali, reached an agreement to settle the civil lawsuit filed after the accident.

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The owners of a container ship that collided with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge have been ordered to pay over $100 million in damages to the U.S. government, according to an announcement from the U.S. Justice Department.

Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited, which owned and operated the vessel Dali, reached an agreement to settle the civil lawsuit filed after the accident.

The Justice Department described the collision on March 26, which resulted in six fatalities and sent massive amounts of debris into the river, as "one of the most severe transportation accidents in recent memory."

The funds from this settlement will be allocated to the U.S. Treasury and federal agencies impacted by the incident or involved in recovery efforts.

The agreement excludes costs related to reconstructing the Francis Scott Key Bridge. A separate claim for those damages has been filed by the state.

The U.S. government attributed the collision to failures in the ship's electrical and mechanical systems, stating that poor maintenance led to a power loss, causing the vessel to strike the bridge.

The impact tragically resulted in the deaths of six construction workers who were repairing potholes on the bridge, as they fell into the water following the crash.

The collision caused significant debris, with tons of steel, concrete, and asphalt blocking the Patapsco River, leading to months of traffic disruption at one of the nation's busiest ports.

Following the incident, federal, state, and local agencies worked together to clear 50,000 tons of debris from the river and the ship, according to the Justice Department.

The bridge's collapse had far-reaching economic effects, halting shipping activities until the Port of Baltimore resumed commercial operations in June. The collision also obstructed a key commuter route in the region.