Maryland OAG sues owner, manager of cargo ship that caused Baltimore Bridge collapse

BALTIMORE — The Maryland Office of the Attorney General is suing the owner and manager of the cargo ship that caused Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge to collapse on March 26, Attorney General Anthony Brown and Gov. Wes Moore announced Tuesday. 

This suit seeks to hold owner Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and manager Synergy Marine Group of the Dali cargo ship accountable not just for the collapse of the bridge and the six lives lost that day, but also for the economic and environmental disruption caused by the destruction of the bridge and the temporary closure of the port of Baltimore.

“The ripple effects of the disaster are far reaching and profound, and we are seeking damages to recover to compensate Marylanders for all of them,” Brown said at a press conference Tuesday.

Brown said the two companies displayed stunning mismanagement and gross negligence in allowing an unseaworthy Dali to sail March 26. The OAG wants the Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine to pay to rebuild the bridge and reimburse lost revenue from tolls and taxes and the resources spent supporting people and businesses affected by the disaster.

Though the pleading has been filed, the OAG has not yet figured out exactly how much money they are asking from the two companies, because lost toll and tax revenue is ongoing and the environmental impacts are still being investigated, Brown said.

“We know the categories in which we’re seeking recovery,” Brown said. “But part of this process is to put pen to paper to do the analysis to understand precisely that dollar value.”

While the OAG moves forward with the suit, the state is not waiting to move forward with rebuilding the bridge. Moore said he’s working closely with the congressional delegation to request federal funds so the bridge can be rebuilt by 2028.  The Maryland Transportation Authority is currently footing part of the bill, providing $73 million of the $1.7 billion officials estimate it will cost.

“Any litigation this complicated will take time,” Moore said, “but in Maryland, we do not shy away from big challenges. We lean in and we demand justice, and that is what it means to be Maryland tough and Baltimore strong.”

This is not the first such lawsuit that has been announced. It joins two suits announced last week from the U.S. Justice Department and the families of three of the six victims who died working on the ship. Baltimore’s mayor and city council also filed suits to hold the companies liable in April.