Baltimore bridge collapse: Owner of cargo ship agrees to pay $102m to US government
The owner and operator of the cargo ship which crashed into a Baltimore bridge has agreed to pay $102m (£78.6m) to the federal government, the US Justice Department has said.
Six construction workers were killed after the Dali ship struck the 1.6-mile long Francis Scott Key Bridge at around 1.30am local time on 26 March.
The ship slammed into a support pylon, sending the bridge plunging into the Patapsco River.
It spent two months under the wreckage before being refloated and guided back to port in May. In June, it finally left Baltimore.
The Justice Department in September filed a civil claim seeking $103m from two Singaporean companies, Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited.
The claim was intended to recoup the money the US government spent responding to the disaster and clearing the wreck of the Dali ship and bridge debris from the Port of Baltimore so the waterway could reopen in June.
The reopening required the removal of 50,000 tonnes of debris.
Principal deputy associate attorney general Benjamin Mizer said the settlement "ensures that the costs of the federal government's clean-up efforts in the Fort McHenry Channel are borne by Grace Ocean and Synergy and not the American taxpayer".
The National Transportation Safety Board said in May the Dali lost electrical power several times before it crashed into the bridge.
The FBI in April opened a criminal investigation into the disaster.
The state of Maryland, which estimates that it will cost $1.7bn to $1.9bn to rebuild the bridge and anticipates completion by autumn 2028, separately filed claims against the companies for the cost of the bridge, clean-up efforts, environmental claims and other costs.
Funds recovered by Maryland for reconstruction of the bridge will be used to reduce the project costs paid by the US government, the Justice Department said.
-SKY NEWS
