Baltimore bridge collision: S’pore ship owner & operator to pay S$135M in cleanup cost

Singapore ship owner & operator agree to pay S$135 million in cleanup cost for Baltimore bridge collision

The Singapore-based companies that owned and managed the Dali — the cargo ship that crashed into a bridge in Baltimore in March — have agreed to pay about US$102 million (S$134.6 million) in cleanup costs.

The settlement came a month after the US Justice Department filed a civil claim against Dali owner Grace Ocean Private Limited and manager Synergy Marine Private Limited.

Both companies had earlier tried to limit their liability for the crash to US$44 million (S$58 million). The sum was deemed “woefully inadequate”.

Ship owner & operator agree to pay cleanup costs after lawsuit by US Justice Department

In a press release on Thursday (24 Oct), the US Justice Department announced that Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine have agreed to pay US$101,980,000 for the cost incurred in responding to the bridge’s collapse.

The settlement sum will ensure that the costs associated with the cleanup efforts are not borne by American taxpayers.

However, the settlement does not include the costs of rebuilding the bridge, which could amount to an estimated US$2 billion (S$2.64 billion).

The Justice Department filed a civil claim on 18 Sept against both companies after they tried limiting their liability for the crash to US$44 million (S$58 million).

6 killed in “entirely avoidable” collision

In March, the Dali crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge after losing electrical power, killing six workers.

Following the bridge collapse, local authorities had to remove some 50,000 tons of debris from the channel, reports The Guardian.

The collision has been described as “one of the worst transportation disasters in recent memory”.

Some also said that the incident was “entirely avoidable” and that it occurred as a result of “eminently foreseeable errors” made by the Dali’s owners and operators.

Also read: 6 workers presumed dead following Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapse, rescue mission suspended