Businesses affected by the collapse of the Baltimore bridge should receive compensation, the court argues

BALTIMORE (AP) — A Baltimore publishing company has filed a class-action claim, arguing that the owner and manager of the massive container ship that brought down the Francis Scott Key Bridge last month should pay damages to companies adversely affected by the collapse.

The claim, filed on behalf of American Publishing LLC, largely mirrors an earlier filing by attorneys for the Baltimore mayor and city council, which called for the ship’s owner and manager to be held fully liable for the deadly disaster.

Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd. owns the Dali, the ship that veered off course and crashed into the bridge. Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., also based in Singapore, is the vessel manager.

The companies filed a petition shortly after the March 26 collapse asking a court to limit their liability under a pre-Civil War provision of an 1851 maritime law — a routine but important procedure for such cases. A federal court in Maryland will decide who is responsible and how much they are owed in what could become one of the costliest maritime disasters in history.

In their claim filed Thursday, attorneys for American Publishing accused the companies of negligence, arguing that they should have realized the Dali was unsuitable for its voyage and, among other things, should have staffed the ship with a competent crew.

Workers remove the wreckage from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Matt Rourke

“Since the catastrophic collision, commercial activity in and around Baltimore has come to a virtual standstill,” they wrote. “It may take several years for the area to fully recover.”

American Publishing saw its revenue fall this month as local companies cut advertising deals and other publishing requests after the collapse, the claim said.

A spokesperson for Synergy and Grace Ocean said Friday that it would be inappropriate to comment on the pending litigation at this time.

The ship was en route to Sri Lanka when, shortly after leaving Baltimore, it lost power and struck one of the bridge’s support columns, causing the span to collapse and six members of a roadwork crew to plunge to their deaths.

FBI agents boarded the stuck ship last week during a criminal investigation. A separate federal investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board will include an investigation into whether the ship experienced power problems before it began its journey, officials said. That research will generally focus on the electrical system of the Dali.

In their petition, Grace Ocean and Synergy sought to limit their liability to approximately $43.6 million. The petition estimates that the ship itself is worth up to $90 million and that it owed more than $1.1 million in cargo revenue. The estimate also subtracts two major expenses: at least $28 million in repair costs and at least $19.5 million in salvage costs.

Baltimore leaders and business owners argue that the ship’s owner and manager should be held accountable for their role in the disaster, which has halted most maritime traffic through the Port of Baltimore and disrupted a key East Coast freight route.

Lawyers representing the victims of the collapse and their families have also vowed to hold the companies accountable.

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