The owner and manager of the Dali freighter that crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge has filed a court petition seeking to limit his legal liability for the catastrophe, as President Biden is expected to survey the damage on Friday.
Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd. owns the Dali, the ship that lost power before crashing into the bridge last week. Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., also based in Singapore, is the ship’s manager.
The companies filed a “limitation of liability” petition Monday in federal court denying any fault or negligence and seeking to limit their liability at about $43.6 million, which they claim is the total value of the ship after losses. and damages.
“The incident was not due to any fault, negligence or lack of care on the part of the petitioners, the ship or any person or entity for whose acts the petitioners may be responsible,” the document says.
‘Alternatively, if such failures caused or contributed to the Casualty, or any loss or damage arising from the Casualty, which is denied, such failures were caused and occurred without the knowledge or knowledge of the Petitioners.’
The owner and manager of the Dali freighter that crashed on Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge has filed a petition to limit his legal liability.
They deny any fault or negligence and seek to limit their liability to approximately $43.6 million, which they claim is the full value of the ship after loss and damage.
A federal court in Maryland will ultimately decide who is responsible for the accident and how much they owe
“If the Court determines that the owner and/or Synergy is liable, such liability will be limited to the value of the vessel and its outstanding freight in connection with the voyage,” the document says.
The companies said that before the fatal voyage, the ship’s value was no more than $90 million. They estimated repair costs will be at least $28 million, salvage costs will be at least $19.5 million and freight costs are estimated at $1.17 million.
The groups filed their request under a pre-Civil War provision of an 1851 maritime law that allows them to try to limit their liability to the value of the ship’s wreckage after a casualty.
A federal court in Maryland will ultimately decide who is responsible for the accident and how much you owe.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the president will travel to Baltimore on Friday.
“As the president said just hours after the collapse, this administration will be with the people of Baltimore every step of the way,” Jean-Pierre said.
Biden is expected to meet with state and local leaders, including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, as he tours the affected area.
He added that the administration is working with Congress to ensure that the federal government pays for the bridge’s reconstruction.
Baltimore officials also announced they will build two temporary alternative channels for commercially essential vessels following last week’s collapse.
Crews have begun the complicated work of removing steel and concrete at the site of the deadly Patapsco River bridge collapse following the freighter collision, which left six construction workers dead.
Twenty-two sailors remain confined to the Dali since last Tuesday’s disaster while they answer investigators’ questions about the disaster.
On Sunday, diving teams inspected parts of the bridge and searched the ship, and workers on the elevators used blowtorches to cut above-water parts of the twisted steel superstructure.
“This will mark an important first step on the path to reopening the Port of Baltimore,” Capt. David O’Connell, federal coordinator for the on-site response, said in a statement Sunday night. “By opening this alternative route, we will support the flow of marine traffic into Baltimore.”
On Monday, the Small Business Administration opened a center in Dundalk, Maryland, to help businesses obtain loans to help with losses caused by the bridge collapse.
The bridge fell when the crew of the freighter Dali lost power and control on March 26. They called for a mayday, which gave enough time for police to stop vehicles from going onto the bridge, but not enough time to get a crew of eight workers off the structure.
Eight construction workers were filling potholes on the bridge when the accident occurred. Two of them were rescued shortly after the collapse. Divers recovered the bodies of two other people and the other four are presumed dead.
Baltimore officials announced they will build two temporary alternative channels for commercially essential vessels following the collapse.
On Sunday, diving teams inspected parts of the bridge and searched the ship, and workers on the elevators used blowtorches to cut above-water parts of the twisted steel superstructure.
Twenty-two sailors remain confined on the Dalà since the disaster while they answer questions from investigators about the catastrophe.
The workers came to the Maryland area from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, according to diplomats from those countries.
One worker, Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, 38, came to the United States from Honduras almost two decades ago. His sister described him as an enterprising, hard-working husband and father of two children. And El Salvador’s Foreign Minister, Alexandra Hill Tinoco, published on X on Wednesday that a Salvadoran citizen, Miguel Luna, was among the missing workers.
In addition to clearing the shipping channel to reopen the port, officials are trying to determine how to rebuild the main bridge, which was completed in 1977 and carried Interstate 695 around southeast Baltimore and was critical to the city’s centuries of maritime culture. city.
Congress is expected to consider relief packages to help people who lose jobs or businesses due to the prolonged closure of the Port of Baltimore. The port handles more automobiles and farm equipment than any other American facility.
President Joe Biden said he expects the federal government to shoulder the entire cost of rebuilding. His administration approved $60 million in emergency federal aid to pay for debris removal and other startup costs.