MD, Ship Owner Reach Settlement In Key Bridge Collapse Case

BALTIMORE, MD — Maryland has reached a settlement agreement with the owners of the cargo ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge two years ago, causing a span of the bridge to collapse.

On Wednesday, Attorney General Anthony Brown said the state reached a preliminary agreement with Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., the owner and operator of the cargo ship Dali.

The settlement resolves claims brought against the companies by the Office of the Attorney General's Civil Litigation Division on behalf of the state of Maryland and its agencies, including the Maryland Transportation Authority, the Maryland Port Administration, and the Maryland Department of the Environment.

The collapse killed six highway workers who were on the bridge patching potholes on Interstate 695 when the collision happened in the early morning hours of March 26, 2024.

Details of the settlement were not released. The settlement does not resolve any claims the state may have against the shipbuilder, Hyundai, the attorney general's office said.

“For two years, Maryland workers, families, and communities have carried the weight of a disaster that should never have happened," Brown said in a news release.

The attorney general noted that Dali's crash into the bridge "disrupted the Port of Baltimore, devastated livelihoods, and sent economic shockwaves across our State that are still being felt today.”

“Our work is not finished, but this settlement is an important step toward making Maryland whole," Brown said.

According to a preliminary report released by the NTSB, the Dali suffered two electrical blackouts that led to major equipment failure hours before it struck the bridge. Officials wrote that the Dali had experienced electrical problems the day before the collision. In the hours before the ship left the Port of Baltimore on a voyage to Sri Lanka, the ship lost power twice, causing the vessel to lose propulsion and the ability to steer.

According to officials, a mistake by a crew member working on a diesel engine part caused the first "in-port blackout." A second blackout in port was attributed to "insufficient fuel pressure," the report said.

The National Transportation Safety Board has not yet released its final report on the collapse, though officials said a loose cable in the ship’s electrical switchboard likely contributed to its power issues.

The state’s claims, filed in federal court in Maryland in September 2024, alleged that the disaster was due to negligence, mismanagement, and the reckless operation of a vessel that was not seaworthy and should never have left port.

The state sought damages on behalf of its agencies for the destruction of the bridge, harm to the Patapsco River and surrounding environment, lost revenues, and the wide-ranging economic losses sustained by Maryland and its residents.

The collapse brought shipping at the Port of Baltimore to a complete halt, disrupted the livelihoods of thousands of workers, rerouted traffic through communities already bearing disproportionate burdens, and triggered economic ripple effects still being felt across the state, the attorney general's office noted.

The bridge, a longstanding Baltimore landmark, was a vital piece of transportation infrastructure that allowed drivers to easily bypass downtown. The original 1.6-mile steel span took five years to construct and opened to traffic in 1977. It was particularly important for the city’s port operations.

The Maryland Transportation Authority late last year estimated the price range of a new bridge alone to be between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion, with an anticipated open-to-traffic date in late 2030.

See full coverage of the Key Bridge collapse on Patch.com.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.