Maryland sues Singapore-based owner of ship that caused US bridge collapse
Officials allege that Grace Ocean and operator Synergy Marine Group knowingly sent an unseaworthy vessel, the Dali, into US waters
The state of Maryland has added to the legal troubles facing the owner and operator of the container ship Dali, which caused the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the massive vessel experienced an ill-timed electrical blackout and other failures.
Officials announced a new lawsuit on Tuesday that echoes several other recent filings alleging the ship’s Singapore-based owner and manager, Grace Ocean Private Ltd and Synergy Marine Group, knowingly sent an unseaworthy ship into US waters.
“Hear me loud and clear. What happened in the early morning of March 26 should never have happened,” Governor Wes Moore said at a news conference.
“A bridge that was used by thousands of vehicles every single day should still be here right now. A key artery to the Port of Baltimore, which helped move billions of dollars of freight every single year, should still be here right now. And the six victims of the collapse should all be here right now.”
Six construction workers were killed when the ship rammed into one off the bridge’s support columns, causing the span to topple into the water. Their families have also sued the companies.
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A suit filed last week by the US Department of Justice provided the most detailed account yet of the cascading series of failures that left the Dali’s pilots and crew helpless in the face of looming disaster. That complaint alleges that mechanical and electrical systems on the ship had been “jury-rigged” and improperly maintained.
