The Justice Department and the owner of the container ship that crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge earlier this year have reached a settlement, with the ship owner agreeing to pay $100 million in civil penalties to cover the costs of responding to the disaster.
Federal investigators have yet to determine the root cause of the crash but have zeroed in on information suggesting the ship Dali may have repeatedly lost power and couldn’t recover in time to avoid crashing into a pier. The bridge collapse crimped the supply chain for some industries and brought the port of Baltimore to a standstill.
The Singaporean companies that owned and operated the Dali, Grace Ocean Private and Synergy Maritime Private, said they would pay $101.9 million for costs borne by the United States in responding to the costly bridge collapse, which also killed six construction workers.
Benjamin Mizer, principal deputy associate attorney general, called the settlement an “important milestone” in a crash that caused “untold” damage.