Shipping firms, US agree on cost payments after bridge collapse incident

Ship management firm Synergy Marine and Grace Ocean, owner of the Singapore-flagged cargo ship with 22 Indian crew members that collided with a US bridge in March, have reached an "agreement" with the US government on cost payment, while rejecting liability for the incident.

Container ship 'DALI', with all-Indian 22 crew members onboard, had collided with one of the pillars of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in March this year. The crew had issued a mayday call before the collision that led to the collapse of bridge, prompting authorities to limit traffic movement.

"We confirm that Grace Ocean and Synergy have reached an agreement with the United States regarding the payment of those costs, which are fully insured," Synergy Marine Group said in a statement on Friday.

 

"The settlement strictly covers costs related to clearing the channel, which we would have been responsible for in any case, and is not indicative of any liability, which we expressly reject for the incident that led to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge," it stated.

According to the statement, Grace Ocean and Synergy are prepared to vigorously defend themselves in the limitation of liability proceedings pending before the Federal Court in Baltimore and to establish that they were not responsible for the incident.

Synergy Marine Group also said that, "no punitive damages have been imposed as part of settlement."  "In accordance with the settlement, the United States has dismissed its claim," it said.

In the incident, the cargo ship outbound from Baltimore to Colombo, rammed into one of the pillars of the bridge, while under pilotage with two pilots onboard. Shortly after the collision, the bridge collapsed, crashing on the cargo ship.

Following the disembarkation of crew members from the vessel, Synergy Marine and Grace Ocean have put measures in place to support their well-being, the company said and added the 11 crew members who disembarked in Baltimore and Norfolk in June 2024 are accommodated in serviced apartments in Baltimore.

One crew member was granted approval by the US government to return to India for a family ceremony. The US government further granted an extension to this crew member, who is expected to return to the US in mid-November, to further assist with the ongoing investigation, Synergy Marine said.

Besides, two other crew members who were granted approvals by the US government to return to India for family reasons have joined their colleagues in the US, the company said.