Baltimore says ship in bridge wreck was 'unseaworthy'
By Sam Cabral
Baltimore has sued the operators of the container ship that hit and destroyed one of the US city’s main bridges last month, killing six people.
The city says the Dali was “clearly unseaworthy” and accuses its owners and manager of negligence.
The ship’s Singapore-based owner and manager have already asked a court to limit their liability.
The region is reeling from the closure of its busiest maritime transit port after the span collapsed on 26 March.
“None of this should have happened,” attorneys representing the Baltimore mayor and city council argued in a federal lawsuit.
The city is asking the US District Court of Maryland for a jury trial to hold the defendants fully liable.
Naming the Dali’s owner, Grace Ocean Private Limited, and its manager, Synergy Marine Private Limited, the suit alleges the Francis Scott Key Bridge’s collapse was a direct result of their “gross negligence, and recklessness, and as a result of the unseaworthiness of the Vessel”.
