Justice Department sues Dali shipowner for $100 million over Baltimore Key Bridge collapse

WASHINGTON − The Department of Justice filed a $100 million lawsuit Wednesday against the owner of the Dali container ship, which rammed and toppled Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, killing six people .

More than 50 federal and state agencies coordinated to remove the bridge remnants after the March 26 collapse and the Dali, and to reopen the Fort McHenry Shipping Channel in June, officials said. The federal government spent $100 million in that effort and the government will seek punitive damages against the Singapore owner and operator of the ship, Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited, officials said.

“In sum, this accident happened because of the careless and grossly negligent decisions made by Grace Ocean and Synergy, who recklessly chose to send an unseaworthy vessel to navigate a critical waterway and ignore the risks to American lives and the nation’s infrastructure,” Chetan Patil, acting deputy assistant attorney general of the civil division’s torts branch.

Representatives for Grace Ocean and Synergy could not immediately be reached for comment.

The state of Maryland could still seek money from the shipowner to rebuild the state bridge, which is estimated to cost billions of dollars.

Benjamin Mizer, principal deputy associate attorney general, alleged that the Dali's owner cut corners in ways that risked lives and the U.S. economy, despite being aware that excessive vibrations aboard the ship could lead to a catastrophic power failure.

“The whole country watched the horrifying video footage showing the bridge collapse and plunge into the water below,” Mizer said. “Six construction workers tragically lost their lives when the bridge collapsed. Our hearts go out to their families and loved ones for this senseless and wholly preventable loss of life.”

The cargo ship Dali collided with a bridge support while departing Baltimore toward Sri Lanka early on March 26, sending the span of Interstate 695 into the Patapsco River. Eight workers had been fixing potholes on the bridge when the ship struck and six were killed. The collapse choked off access to the port of Baltimore.

Video footage captured the container ship hitting the bridge after appearing to lose power two times.

Patil said the ship lost power after circuit breakers tripped in a transformer in the engine room because of excessive vibrations in the transformer and its circuitry. The vibrations were a longstanding problem on the ship, Patil said.

More: Baltimore's Key Bridge, opened in 1977, had few ship defenses. Are modern bridges better?

The power supply should have shifted to another transformer almost immediately, but was delayed because the automation was "recklessly disabled," Patil said. Then the ship's emergency generator also failed, he said. Because of alleged "makeshift" changes to the equipment, an inadequate, temporary fuel pump couldn't restart after the blackout and without power, the ship couldn't steer, Patil said.

“It is clear that this accident was completely avoidable,” Patil said. "The electrical and mechanical systems on the Dali were improperly configured and maintained in violation of safety regulations."

The Fort McHenry Federal Channel was restored to its original operational depth nearly three months after the bridge collapse .

The channel was restored to its original dimensions of 700 feet wide and 50 feet deep after 50,000 tons of bridge wreckage was removed from the river, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced in June.

State officials have also estimated that it will cost about $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion to rebuild the bridge, which isn't expected to be completed until fall 2028.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justice Department sues Dali shipowner for $100 million over Baltimore Key Bridge collapse