Ship owner involved in Baltimore bridge collapse to pay $100 million, according to U.S. Justice Department

The Justice Department said Thursday it had agreed to a $100 million settlement with the Singaporean owner and operator of the cargo ship involved in the Baltimore bridge collapse. The 1,000-foot-long M/V Dali collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, killing six road workers and blocking a vital shipping channel.

Grace Ocean Private Ltd and Synergy Marine Private Ltd agreed to pay $101.1 million to settle a civil lawsuit aimed at recovering costs associated with responding to the disaster and clearing debris from the channel leading to the Port of Baltimore.

The settlement today marks an important step some nearly seven months after one of the worst transportation disasters in recent memory, claiming six lives and causing extensive damage, said Benjamin Mizer, the principal deputy attorney general of the Justice Department. "This settlement ensures that federal cleanup costs will be borne by the companies responsible for them, not taxpayers," he added.

Damages for the eventual rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge are excluded from the settlement, which is a separate claim to be brought by the state of Maryland. Each family of the six road workers who died is pursuing legal action on their own. The Fort McHenry channel, vital to the auto industry, reopened to commercial navigation on June 10.