U.S. settles $100M deal with firms over Key Bridge crash
The U.S. Department of Justice has reached an agreement with Singaporean companies that own the container ship Dali, which collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, in March. They will pay over $100 million in compensation to American authorities for causing the disaster.
9:03 AM EDT, October 25, 2024
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the settlement on Thursday. Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and Synergy Marine Private Ltd., based in Singapore, will allocate $101,980,000 to satisfy Washington's claims.
The money will go to the state treasury and other federal agencies that were directly affected by the incident or involved in the damage remediation process. However, the compensation does not include many civil lawsuits, including that of the state of Maryland.
The container ship Dali hit the Key Bridge on March 26 after leaving the Port of Baltimore on its way to Sri Lanka. Before the collision, the ship lost maneuverability.
Removed 55,000 tons of steel, concrete, and asphalt from the channel
The Department of Justice argued that the wreck of the ship, which could not be removed immediately, blocked the channel for several months, halting freight traffic to and from the Port of Baltimore. The disaster also caused a blockage of traffic on a stretch of a crucial highway in the region's transportation infrastructure.
The United States conducted rescue operations, coordinating efforts among federal, state, and local agencies to remove approximately 55,000 tons of steel, concrete, and asphalt from the channel and the Dali itself, stated the DOJ.
