Dali ship that wrecked Baltimore bridge was 'unseaworthy' before it left port, city claims

The owner and manager of the Dali container ship that toppled the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last month knowingly allowed an “unseaworthy” vessel to leave port and is directly responsible for the accident, the city of Baltimore said in a pair of court documents filed this week.

The documents were submitted in response to a petition by the ship’s owner and manager seeking to limit their financial liability for the March 26 accident; they claimed they were not at fault. But the city alleged the companies knew the Dali was unseaworthy because it had experienced a power supply problem hours before it left the Port of Baltimore early that morning.

Instead of fixing the problem, the city said, the Dali’s crew all but ignored it and left the port en route to Sri Lanka. Minutes later, the ship lost power and struck the bridge, “causing the bridge’s immediate collapse, killing at least six individuals, destroying Baltimore property, and bringing the region’s primary economic engine to a grinding halt,” the city said in one of its filings.

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“None of this should have happened,” the city added.

The city’s claim referenced an April 15th Associated Press report citing an unnamed source who said alarms had sounded on some of the ship’s refrigerated containers before it left port, indicating an inconsistent power supply.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge, a major span over the Patapsco River in Baltimore, collapsed March 26, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland after it was struck by a large cargo ship, prompting a massive emergency response for multiple people in the water. The Baltimore City Fire Department described the collapse as a mass-casualty incident.

Neither the ship’s owner, Grace Ocean Private Limited, nor its manager, Synergy Marine Private Limited, should be allowed to limit their liability in the case, the city claims, because they had failed to properly train and supervise the crew, follow safe work and operational procedures, and properly maintain, equip and inspect the vessel.

The crash was a direct result of the companies’ “carelessness, negligence, gross negligence, and recklessness, and as a result of the unseaworthiness of the Vessel,” the city said

Darrell Wilson, a spokesman for Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine, declined to comment on the city’s allegations, citing pending litigation and the ongoing government investigations into the cause of the accident.

National Transportation Safety Board and U.S. Coast Guard investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the blackout on the Dali. They have retrieved documents and interviewed the crew, as well as others who witnessed or were involved in the crash. The FBI also launched a criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident, the agency confirmed on April 15, the same day its agents boarded the ship.

It could be months – if not years – before the agencies release their findings.

Read the investigation: How many ships hit bridges, lose power every year? Data shows jarring numbers on the rise.

The Singapore-based owner and manager of the Dali had filed a joint petition in the U.S. District court of Maryland earlier this month claiming that the accident “was not due to any fault, neglect, or want of care” on their parts.

Although Grace Ocean owns the 985-foot container ship, Synergy Marine was responsible for manning and maintaining it and had “substantial control” over the vessel at all times, according to the petition.

Both entities jointly asked the judge to limit their liability for the accident to $43.7 million – the equivalent of the total value of the ship and its freight, minus the cost of repairs and salvage – in accordance with the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851. That law allows a ship’s owner to limit its liability to the value of the vessel and its cargo when the losses were result of a situation beyond its control.

Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine allege the crash was, in fact, due to circumstances beyond their control. The city of Baltimore alleges otherwise.

Claims from the crash are likely to exceed several billion dollars and will include the costs of replacing the bridge, rerouting traffic in the interim, cleaning the Patapsco River, and recouping lost revenue associated with disruptions at the Port of Baltimore. That does not include any claims that might be filed by the families of the six construction workers who died after they were knocked off the bridge when it collapsed.

“It may take years for it to fully recover,” the city said in its court filing.

The city asked the court for a jury trial and seeks to recover from the companies the full amount of damages it proves in court, along with all court costs and attorneys’ fees.

“As the Mayor stated in his announcement last week, the City is pursuing its legal claims against those responsible for the Key Bridge catastrophe to ensure that the City, its residents, and its businesses are adequately compensated for their losses,” Sara Gross Chief, the chief of Baltimore’s Affirmative Litigation Division, said in a brief statement emailed to USA TODAY on Tuesday.

Gross declined to comment further, citing active litigation.

Emily Le Coz is a reporter on the USA TODAY investigations team. Contact her at [email protected] or @emily_lecoz.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dali ship that wrecked Baltimore bridge was ‘unseaworthy’ before it left port, city claims