Dali owner, manager seek to cap liability in Baltimore bridge collapse

The owner and operator of the Dali, the cargo ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, are asking a federal court to limit their liability in the disaster that collapsed the bridge and killed six people.

Grace Ocean, the owner of the Singapore-flagged Dali, and Synergy Marine, the manager of the ship, filed a joint petition Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland seeking to cap liability at about $43.7 million. The Dali, which was carrying about 4,700 containers, crashed into the Key Bridge in the early morning of March 26. Within moments, the bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River, killing two construction workers; four remain missing and are presumed dead.

The petition says the ship left the Port of Baltimore around 12:40 a.m. that day, with two tugs alongside and a pilot on board. After the tugs cast off the ship, the Dali entered the shipping channel around 1:08 a.m. Seven to 10 minutes later, the ship lost power and propulsion before briefly regaining power only to lose it again moments later.

The crew dropped anchor after losing power a second time, the petition says. The Dali crashed into the bridge around 1:28 a.m.

The companies want to limit their liability to $43.67 million, which is the value of the ship and cargo minus the cost for repairs and salvage, the petition says. The filing is a routine procedure for cases litigated under U.S. maritime law. 

The bridge’s collapse and subsequent closure of the Port of Baltimore is expected to have a major negative impact on the global freight industry and the Maryland economy. The port in 2023 handled a record $80 billion of foreign cargo.

Officials have vowed to clear the channel as quickly as possible to begin shipping from the port once again. Crews have started removing the bridge wreckage.

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Editor: Brinley Hineman