The owner of a Baltimore bridge collapse is trying to blame others as the liability case takes shape

BALTIMORE – Since the widespread case of responsibility is formed after fatal collapse Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, the owner and manager of the Dali container ship are trying to deflect responsibility and blame others.

Lawyers for Singapore’s Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Group argued in court Tuesday that Maryland officials should have done a better job of protecting the bridge from ship strikes. They also raised questions about whether the shipbuilder installed faulty electrical equipment that caused the Dali to lose power as it approached the bridge.

Meanwhile, lawyers for the dozens of plaintiffs seeking damages argued that the immediate focus should remain on where the two companies dropped the ball.

“This is not an offensive tool,” said attorney David Reisman, who represents the state of Maryland. He argued that the court should not consider such allegations from the companies at such an early stage in the legal process.

The plaintiffs include the families of six construction workers who died in the collapse, as well as state and local authorities, businesses, truckers, and more. They accused Grace Ocean and Synergy of failing to properly maintain the Dali, ignoring long-standing problems with its electrical system and knowingly sending the unseaworthy vessel into Maryland waters.

Shortly after the collapse on March 26, the companies filed a petition in federal court in Baltimore seeking to limit their liability. Since then, nearly 50 other organizations have filed counterclaims in the case.

At a planning conference Tuesday, Judge James Bredar questioned lawyers for both sides as he tried to “give structure to this sprawling and unusual case,” which could become the costliest maritime accident case in history.

Bredar said the ultimate goal is to bring the case “to the launch pad for settlement.” But it can take years. He said the upcoming order will deal with the first phase of the case, including a timeline and determining the proper scope — whether it will be narrowly focused or address broader issues such as third-party liability.

William Bennett, a lawyer for Grace Ocean, argued that the court should consider placing “significant responsibility and blame” on public officials, in particular. He cited “decades of records” showing that Maryland failed to adequately protect the bridge, which was built in the 1970s with minimal abutment protection.

The gallery of the courtroom was filled with lawyers participating in the case. The discovery process is likely to include dozens of hours of testimony over the next several months, culminating in a trial.

It is possible that some federal claims may be settled in the meantime. Grace Ocean and Synergy last week agreed to pay more than $102 million cleanup costs to settle a lawsuit filed by the US Department of Justice. The payment will reimburse the federal government for money spent cleaning up the massive amounts of debris from the Port of Baltimore’s main shipping channel, which remained closed for months after the collapse.

After the settlement was announced, a representative for Grace Ocean said it was not an admission of liability or wrongdoing.

The Justice Department’s claim, which was later dismissed, provided the most detailed account of the cascading series of malfunctions that left the Dali pilots and crew helpless in the face of impending disaster. The complaint pointed to “excessive vibration” on the ship, which lawyers described as “a well-known cause of transformer and electrical failure.” Instead of dealing with the source of the vibration, crew members “tweaked” the vessel, the complaint alleges.

FBI agents boarded the ship in April during criminal investigation on the circumstances that led to the collapse.

Dali was leaving Baltimore for Sri Lanka when it lost power and veered off course, crashing into a bridge. Six members of the road construction crew were killed. The ship’s pilots made a last-minute call before 1 a.m. and allowed police to stop traffic to the bridge, but they failed to alert the workers.

The collapse halted commercial shipping through the Port of Baltimore, increased travel time for local drivers and left many truckers temporarily out of work. Trucking companies and other companies that relied on the bridge face long-term consequences, according to court filings.

The federal case is likely to be followed by additional lawsuits in Maryland state courts.