The Dali, the container ship that left the Port of Baltimore in the early hours of March 26, before crashing into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, overturning part of it, set sail despite its “unnavigable” conditions, according to a court filing filed Monday. from the city of Baltimore.
In the court document, the city argues that the ship’s parent company, Grace Ocean Private Ltd., should be held responsible for the crash on the Key Bridge. The filing followed the request of Grace Ocean Private Ltd. to limit its liability for the damages it must pay.
In previous filings, GOPL has argued that it should not be held responsible for the accident that claimed the lives of six construction workers and destroyed part of the bridge.
The owner of the Dali freighter filed a federal lawsuit earlier this month, denying responsibility for the accident and seeking to limit the total amount of compensation to $43.7 million, a fraction of the billions expected to cost the cleanup and restoration. reconstruction of the bridge. The company uses an 1851 law, that year’s Limitation of Liability Act, in its quest to limit its liability.
The city said that 12 minutes after the Dali left the port, despite warning signs, it crashed into the bridge.
In an aerial view, the cargo ship Dali lies in the water after striking and collapsing the Francis Scott Key Bridge March 26, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
“Reports indicated that, even before leaving port, alarms indicating inconsistent power supply on the Dali had gone off,” a Baltimore City attorney said in the filing. “The Dali still left port despite its clearly unseaworthy condition.”
The City of Baltimore says that for four decades, thousands of cargo ships have passed through the Port of Baltimore without incident, making it one of the busiest ports in America.
Dali’s “negligence” justifies the company paying the city for the incident, the city claims.
“For all intents and purposes, petitioner’s negligence caused him to destroy the Key Bridge and single-handedly destroy the Port of Baltimore, a source of jobs, municipal revenue and a source of great pride for the city of Baltimore and its residents,” the city filing read.
The company has not yet filed a response to the allegations.
ABC News
