In papers submitted to the US federal courts on 22
April, Mayor Brandon Scott and city officials have accused Singapore-based
tonnage provider Grace Ocean and ship manager Synergy Marine of negligence.
The plaintiffs alleged that Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine
were careless, negligent and reckless, and asserted the 10,000 TEU Dali, which
was assigned to Maersk Line’s Asia-US East Coast service, was not seaworthy
when the vessel hit the bridge on 26 March, killing six construction
workers.
Scott
and council officials stated that Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine must be held
fully responsible for the bridge collapse,
even though the two companies have filed a petition seeking to cap any
resulting damages, and denying any liability for the incident.
While the damages were not quantified, Baltimore’s
authorities stated that the port produced US$70 billion of income annually, and
ocean-going container ships made 3,600 trips in 2023. They added that since 1980, ships have passed under the bridge without
accidents and that closing the shipping channel in Patapsco River has resulted
in economic damage.
The 2015-built Singapore-flagged Dali remains anchored
outside Baltimore, pending investigations and salvage operations.