Baltimore has taken legal action against the owner and manager of the ship that caused the Francis Scott Key Bridge to collapse last month. The Dali is a ship that carries cargo containers. It is owned by Grace Ocean Private Limited and managed by Synergy Marine PTE LTD.
Lawyers representing Baltimore’s mayor and City Council claim that both companies provided the ship with a crew that was not skilled or trained properly, according to a document obtained by CNN.
The city is asking for an amount of money that has not been specified from both companies. The bridge collapsed on March 26 in the early morning. It was hit by a large cargo ship that had lost power and went off course. The bridge is an important route for 30,000 people from Maryland every day.
“The Dali crashed into the bridge, which caused the bridge to collapse right away. This resulted in the deaths of at least six people, damage to property in Baltimore, and a complete stop to the region’s main economic activities,” stated the document.
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The claim states that the Dali departed from the port even though there were signs that its power supply was not stable.
“The Mayor said last week that the City is taking legal action against the people responsible for the Key Bridge disaster. The goal is to make sure the City, its residents, and its businesses receive fair compensation for their losses.” The Baltimore City Law Office told CNN that they will not provide any further comments on this matter because it is currently being litigated.
“The negligence of the petitioners is easily noticeable, and the City cannot be blamed for it,” the statement said.
In the beginning of this month, Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine submitted a request to a federal court. They asked for a maximum limit of $43.6 million on the amount of money they could be required to pay in case of legal responsibility.
Baltimore has requested the court to reject the companies’ request to limit their liability, according to court documents filed on Monday. Darrell Wilson, a spokesperson for Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine, said to CNN on Monday that they cannot provide any further comments at this time due to ongoing investigations and potential legal proceedings.
Last week, a US official familiar with the matter said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Coast Guard are in charge of investigating the ship crash as a criminal case.
The officials said on April 15 that federal investigators will also examine whether the crew did not report a previous problem with the ship, which caused a delay in its departure.
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