Grace Ocean & Synergy Agree to Settlement Over Baltimore Bridge

The U.S. Justice Department announced that Singaporean companies Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine, the owners and operators of the Dali container ship, have agreed to pay $102 million to settle a civil claim filed five weeks ago. The claim was related to the costs incurred from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which occurred seven months ago.

This settlement, however, does not cover the reconstruction costs of the bridge. The bridge, which is owned and operated by the state of Maryland, was the focus of a separate claim filed by state attorneys seeking compensation for damages.

“Nearly seven months after one of the worst transportation disasters in recent memory, which claimed six lives and caused untold damage, we have reached an important milestone with today’s settlement,” said principal deputy associate attorney general Benjamin Mizer.

Synergy Marine clarified their position, stating, “The settlement strictly covers costs related to clearing the channel, which we would have been responsible for in any case, and is not indicative of any liability, which we expressly reject for the incident that led to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. No punitive damages have been imposed as part of settlement.”

While this settlement addresses certain financial responsibilities, it only represents a fraction of the legal claims that Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine are facing. Ongoing lawsuits have been filed by various parties, including the state of Maryland, the city of Baltimore, the families of victims, and businesses impacted by the disruption caused by the Dali incident.

A Synergy Marine spokesperson commented, “Grace Ocean and Synergy are prepared to vigorously defend themselves in the limitation of liability proceedings pending before the federal court in Baltimore and to establish that they were not responsible for the incident.”

Grace Ocean and Synergy have sought to limit their financial liability for this tragic event to $43.67 million, while Maryland’s attorney general, Anthony Brown, has indicated that the state will pursue significantly higher compensation. The reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge alone is estimated to exceed $1 billion.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report in May, revealing that the Dali suffered electrical blackouts both before leaving the Port of Baltimore and just before colliding with the bridge in the early hours of March 26. The force of the impact caused a massive section of the bridge to collapse onto the vessel’s bow.

After departing U.S. waters last month, the Dali is currently en route to a ship repair facility in Fujian province, China, with an expected arrival date of November 8.