The Singapore company whose ship caused the Baltimore Bridge disaster was fined $100 million
Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited, the Singaporean corporations that owned and operated the cargo ship that destroyed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, will pay $102 million to settle civil claims. expense suffered due to natural disasters, collapse, recovery and explosion.
the handle announced by the Ministry of Justice on Thursday comes after two Singapore companies tried to rely on an 1851 law that limits their liability to $44 million after the costly disaster. The disaster occurred last March, when the motor ship Dali left the port of Baltimore and sailed to Sri Lanka. While passing through the Fort McHenry Canal, the ship struggled to maintain and then regained full power before hitting the bridge. In just a few seconds, the Baltimore Bridge collapsed and killed six people. The shipwreck and what remained of the bridge then blocked the shipping channel, causing shipping in and out of the port to come to a standstill. The disaster also cut off a highway, hindering commuters.
“Nearly seven months after one of the worst transportation disasters in recent history, which took the lives of six people and caused untold damage, we reached an important milestone with today’s settlement agreement.”
“Thanks to the hard work of Justice Department attorneys since day one of this disaster, we were able to secure an early resolution of our claim, after just over a month of litigation chant. This resolution ensures that the costs of the federal government’s cleanup efforts at the Fort McHenry Canal will be borne by Grace Ocean and Synergy, not American taxpayers.”
According to DOJ, nearly 50,000 tons of steel, concrete and asphalt had to be removed from the canal in efforts to overcome the consequences. The Department of Justice filed the civil lawsuit on September 18, in Maryland District Court. The fine did not include damage from rebuilding the bridge, and Maryland state attorneys general filed a claim for damages.
“This is a tremendous result that fully compensates the United States for the costs it has incurred in responding to the this disaster and hold DALI owners and operators responsible.” Civil Department. “Timely resolution of this matter also avoids the costs associated with litigating this complex case for many years.”
In April, the two companies had took action to protect yourself from liability, citation Limitation of Liability Act 1851according to Lawrence Brennanprofessor of naval and international maritime law at Fordham University Law School in New York, who spoke with Luck at that time. The move was intended to limit their liability to the ship’s post-accident value. In the end, it appears it was unsuccessful.
“Thanks to the hard work of Justice Department attorneys since day one of this disaster, we were able to secure an early resolution of our claim, in just over a year,” said Mizer. month of litigation”. “This resolution ensures that the costs of the federal government’s cleanup efforts at the Fort McHenry Canal will be borne by Grace Ocean and Synergy and not by American taxpayers.”
