The owners and manager of the freighter that crashed into a Baltimore bridge last week and caused its metal structure to fall into the river below have denied responsibility as they tried to argue they should not be held responsible for amounts greater than the new value. of the damaged ship.
Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd., owner of the cargo ship Dali, and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., manager of the vessel, filed a petition in federal court Monday denying any wrongdoing or negligence, according to the Baltimore-based Banner.
“The (bridge collapse) was not due to any fault, negligence or lack of care on the part of the petitioners, the vessel or any person or entity whose actions can be held responsible,” the petition “limitation of liability”. filed in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, Banner reports.
“Alternatively, if such faults caused or contributed to (the collapse of the bridge), or to any loss or damage resulting from the incident, which is denied, these faults were occasioned and occurred without the knowledge or knowledge of the applicants. »
The ship reportedly lost power before colliding with one of the bridge’s support beams, causing the crew to lose control.
The two companies also argued in the petition that liability fees should be capped at $43.6 million, which they say is the cost of the 984-foot-long vessel after the damage it suffered .
They said that before the ship left Baltimore Harbor last Tuesday, its value was about $90 million.
But they estimated that repairs to the ship would cost at least $28 million, salvage operations would cost at least $19.5 million and transportation costs would be estimated at $1.1 million.
Those who oppose limiting corporate liability must now prove fault or negligence, according to Banner.
If they succeed, the burden falls on the vessel owner to demonstrate that they had “no right or knowledge” of any problem.
But because six construction crew members were killed when the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed last week, the ship’s owner and manager must set aside money for those claims, Alexander Giles said. , partner at Tydings and Rosenberg LLP, in Banner.
These funds would amount to $420 per gross ton of the vessel, which equates to approximately $39.95 million.
A federal court in Maryland will ultimately decide who is responsible for the fatal crash and how much they owe.
The collision is expected to be one of the costliest insured maritime losses in history, a report from credit rating agency Morningstar DBRS predicted.
It estimates that the total insured loss would be between $2 billion and $4 billion.
The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge effectively shut down operations at the Port of Baltimore, affecting about 8,000 jobs and about $2 million in wages, according to ABC 7.
Between $100 million and $200 million worth of goods passed through the port every day.
The cost of rebuilding the collapsed bridge will likely be at least $400 million, experts say, but could be double that, depending on the new design.
The Biden administration has already approved $60 million in emergency federal aid to fund debris removal from the Patapsco River, it announced last week.
The president said in the aftermath of the disaster that he intended for the federal government to “pay the entire cost of rebuilding this bridge, and I hope Congress will support my efforts,” Politico reports.
But it is not yet clear whether members of Congress will support this project.
Meanwhile, Biden is expected to travel to Baltimore on Friday to inspect the wreckage.
“The president continues to lead a whole-of-government approach to the collapse,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced Monday.
She added that Biden will continue to work with Maryland Governor Wes Moore, the state’s congressional delegation and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott “to reopen the port, rebuild the bridge and support the people of Baltimore.” .
With post wires.
New York Post
