The owner and operator of the ship that brought down Baltimore’s Key Bridge agreed to pay a $102 million fine, federal authorities announced Thursday.
Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited were sued by the feds in September for $103.08 million and quickly agreed to the $101.98 million settlement.
“This is a tremendous outcome that fully compensates the United States for the costs it incurred in responding to this disaster and holds the owner and operator of the Dali accountable,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton.
Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine, both based in Singapore, were in charge of the Dali when it slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, killing six people and sending the entire bridge collapsing into the water.
The resulting clean-up effort took months, and building a new bridge is expected to take years. The wreckage also blocked a major entry and exit point for the Port of Baltimore.
“This resolution ensures that the costs of the federal government’s cleanup efforts in the Fort McHenry Channel are borne by Grace Ocean and Synergy and not the American taxpayer,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer.
While the feds handled the clean-up effort, rebuilding the bridge will fall to the state of Maryland, which owned, maintained and operated the original structure.
Maryland filed its own lawsuit against Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine in late September, seeking monetary damages to cover the costs of replacing the bridge.
