Dali's owners agree to pay $100 million for the bridge crash

The owners and operators of the dali The U.S. Department of Justice has announced that the container ship that crashed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26 has been ordered to pay more than $100 million in damages to the U.S. government.

BBC News reports that Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited, the companies that owned and operated it dali have agreed to pay $101.98 million to settle a civil lawsuit. The DOJ filed the lawsuit on September 18 against the companies, demanding that they cover the costs of responding and removing the bridge's debris. The settlement does not include damages for the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The state of Maryland filed a lawsuit on Sept. 24 alleging lost toll revenue, environmental damage and costs associated with cleanup and reconstruction of the bridge.

Read more: Maryland awards $73 million contract to rebuild collapsed Baltimore Bridge

The Justice Department called the collision, which killed six people and sent tons of debris into the river, “one of the worst transportation disasters in recent memory.” A report from the National Transportation Safety Board found that the dali Hours before the ship left the port of Baltimore, several power outages occurred before another power outage occurred shortly before the ship hit the Key Bridge. It was claimed that the Dali had been inadequately maintained.

Payment from the federal lawsuit will go to the U.S. Treasury and other federal agencies directly affected by the collision or involved in the response.

“This is a tremendous outcome that fully compensates the United States for the costs it incurred in responding to this disaster and holds the owner and operator of the Dali accountable,” said Brian Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, in a press release on Oct. 24. “Resolving this matter quickly also avoids the costs associated with litigating this complex case for potentially years.”

The Port of Baltimore reopened to commercial shipping in June.