Baltimore Calls Dali 'Unseaworthy,' Seeks Bigger Payout For Key Bridge Collapse

BALTIMORE, MD — The City of Baltimore is arguing in court papers that the shipping companies in the fatal Francis Scott Key Bridge's collapse shouldn't be allowed to limit their liability, multiple reports said this week.

The city on Monday filed legal proceedings in the U.S. District Court in Maryland in hopes of canceling a requested liability cap for the shipping companies, The Washington Post reported.

The cargo ship Dali lost power and crashed into the Key Bridge on March 26, killing four road workers and leaving another two presumed dead. The disaster has also closed the Port of Baltimore to most shipping activity. Estimates say hundreds to a thousand or more people are out of work, dealing an economic blow to the state.

The Dali is owned by Grace Ocean Private Limited and operated by Synergy Marine Private Limited.

The companies days after the collapse asked the District Court to limit their share of the liability to $43.6 million, The Post said. Grace Ocean Private Limited is also asking the owners of cargo aboard the Dali to help pay for the salvage operation.

NBC said the city is seeking a jury trial to assess if the shipping companies should be responsible for more costs.

Read all of Patch's Key Bridge collapse coverage here.

The city called the companies' requested liability cap "substantially less than the amount that will be claimed for losses and damages arising out of the Dali's allision [collision] with the Key Bridge," NBC said.

"None of this should have happened," the city's court filings said, according to NBC. "Reporting has indicated that, even before leaving port, alarms showing an inconsistent power supply on the Dali had sounded. The Dali left port anyway, despite its clearly unseaworthy condition."

The Post said the court filings pointed to an April 15 Associated Press report on the ship's electrical systems.

Alarms sounded on some of Dali's refrigerated containers before leaving port, indicating an inconsistent power supply while still docked in Baltimore, a source told the AP. The AP granted anonymity to the "person with knowledge of the situation" because they were "not authorized to publicly comment."

The AP's report came the same day the FBI said it boarded the Dali for "court authorized law enforcement activity."

While reports said the FBI launched a criminal investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board is evaluating the cause of the crash and developing future safety recommendations.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said her team is also examining Dali's electrical system. Investigators are working with Hyundai, which built equipment in the ship's engine room. The NTSB also requested help examining the ship's circuit breakers.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott on April 15 announced that the city is partnering with two law firms to hold any wrongdoers accountable in the shipwreck. For its legal action, the city tapped national complex issues and trial firm DiCello Levitt and Philadelphia law firm Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky Trial Lawyers.

Related:

• Channel Partially Reopens, 200-Ton Tool Joins Key Bridge Cleanup
• 4th Key Bridge Victim Found Dead In Baltimore Waters: Officials
• 'You're Alive': Baker Among Last Drivers On Key Bridge Before Collapse
• Biden Views Key Bridge Collapse: 'Your Nation Has Your Back'
• Jobs In Limbo, Supply Chain Resilient After Baltimore Bridge Collapse
• 'I Didn't Think It Was Real': Residents React To Key Bridge Collapse