Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine to pay $101.9M for the Baltimore bridge collapse, settling U.S. claims for damages and cleanup costs.
Grace Ocean, the owner, and Synergy Marine, the operator of the container ship Dali, have agreed to pay $101,980,000 to settle a civil claim from the United States related to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore that occurred in April. This settlement resolves the U.S. claims for civil damages totalling $103,078,056 under the Rivers and Harbours Act, the Oil Pollution Act, and general maritime law. The funds will be allocated to the U.S. Treasury and several federal agencies directly affected by the incident or involved in the response.
Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer stated, “Thanks to the hard work of the Justice Department attorneys since day one of this disaster, we were able to secure this early settlement of our claim just over one month into litigation. 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.”
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton emphasised that this outcome fully compensates the United States for its response costs and holds the owner and operator of the Dali accountable. He added, “The prompt resolution of this matter also avoids the expense associated with litigating this complex case for potentially years.”
On September 18, the Justice Department filed a civil lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, seeking over $100 million in damages from Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine. This claim was part of a legal action initiated by the vessel companies shortly after the incident, where they sought exoneration or limitation of their liability to approximately $43.7 million.
The recent settlement follows a payment of $97,294 made by Grace Ocean to the Coast Guard National Pollution Fund Centre to cover costs incurred in addressing the oil pollution threat stemming from the incident. However, this settlement does not account for damages related to the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The State of Maryland, which built, owned, maintained, and operated the bridge, has filed its own claim for damages. Under governing regulations, any funds recovered by the state for the bridge’s reconstruction will be used to offset project costs initially covered by federal tax dollars.
The resolution of this civil matter was managed by attorneys from the Civil Division’s Aviation, Space & Admiralty Litigation Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, Baltimore Division.
