The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland collapsed after being struck by a shipping vessel, the Dali. Nearly seven months later, the U.S. Justice Department reached a settlement of over $100 million with the companies that owned and operated the vessel.
Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and Synergy Marine Private Ltd. will pay $101,980,000 to cover the costs of the catastrophic collapse. The settlement will benefit the U.S. Treasury and other federal agencies affected by the incident.
The U.S. filed a complaint claiming civil damages under various laws. Several civil claims, including one filed by Maryland, are still pending against the Dali’s owners.
Despite not covering the cost of rebuilding the bridge, the settlement compensates the U.S. for response costs and holds the owner accountable. The Dali incident led to the death of six workers and disrupted shipping at the Port of Baltimore.
The U.S. coordinated a massive cleanup effort to remove debris from the channel and mitigate economic losses caused by the incident.