BALTIMORE, MD—The owner and operator of the ship that struck and destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge earlier this year have agreed to pay $101.9 million to resolve a civil claim brought by the United States, officials announced this week.

The settlement between the U.S. and the Singaporean corporations Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited covers federal costs incurred in responding to the catastrophic collapse of the bridge, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The money will go to the U.S. Treasury and to the budgets of several federal agencies directly affected by the incident.

“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 Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer said in a statement.

The Motor Vessel DALI left the Port of Baltimore bound for Sri Lanka on the morning of March 26, 2024. The vessel lost power, regained power, and then lost power again before striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse into the water below. Six people were tragically killed.

The wreck of the DALI and the remains of the bridge left the navigable channel blocked, stopping all shipping into and out of the Port of Baltimore. The bridge also served as a critical highway in the area.

Federal, state, and local agencies worked to remove about 50,000 tons of steel, concrete, and asphalt from the channel and from the DALI. Temporary channels were set up to allow some ships to pass through while the Fort McHenry Channel was cleared. The Fort McHenry Channel was cleared by June 10, reopening the Port of Baltimore to commercial navigation.

The Justice Department filed a civil lawsuit in September, seeking over $100 million in damages from Grace Ocean and Synergy. The companies had filed their own claim shortly after the incident, seeking exoneration or limitation of their liability to approximately $43.7 million.

In addition, Grace Ocean paid the Coast Guard National Pollution Fund Center $97,294 for costs incurred to abate the threat of oil pollution from the incident, officials said.

The settlement does not include damages for the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which was owned, maintained, and operated by the State of Maryland. Attorneys for the state have filed their own claim for those damages, officials said.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

Photo by MST1 Claudio Giugliano