The US Department of Justice has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the owner of the container ship Dali, which damaged the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in March 2024.
Investigators suggest that the collision was the result of the negligence of the shipowner, Grace Ocean and Synergy. The accident could have been prevented if not for a series of easily foreseeable mistakes.
Deputy US Attorney General Benjamin Mizer noted that the Dali tanker’s owner and operator were aware of the vibration problems that led to a power outage on the vessel but did not take the necessary safety measures.
On March 26, 2024, the 2.5 km-long Francis Scott Key Road Bridge collapsed after a collision with the 300-meter-long Singapore-flagged container ship Dali en route from the port of Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka.
As a result of the accident, several vehicles, including a truck with a trailer, fell from the bridge into the Patapsco River, the container ship got stuck among the wreckage of the bridge, and the incident led to the death of six people.