The state of Maryland is suing the owner and operator of the Dali container vessel, months after the ship destroyed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced the lawsuit on September 24, claiming that the Dali‘s owner and manager — Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited respectively— owe the state for lost toll revenues, environmental damage, and costs linked to clean-up efforts and rebuilding the bridge. According to the Associated Press, state leaders are still working up an exact dollar figure for the damages.
“We will not allow Marylanders to be left with the bill for the gross negligence, mismanagement and incompetence that caused this harm,” Maryland attorney general Anthony Brown said at a news conference. “No one can deny that the Dali’s destruction of the Key Bridge has caused just that: tremendous pain and suffering that will continue for years to come.”
This comes a week after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a $100 million claim against Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine, alleging that the companies cut corners on the ship’s electric and mechanical systems. A report from the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that the Dali had experienced multiple electrical failures hours before it left the Port of Baltimore, before another blackout just before the ship crashed into the Key Bridge.
