Justice Department files $100 million lawsuit against owner of ship that crashed into Baltimore Key Bridge

The Justice Department filed a complaint on Wednesday against the owner and operator of the container ship that hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, seeking $100 million in damages for the structure’s collapse, which killed six construction workers and caused massive economic losses.

In a call with reporters, Justice Department officials said Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited were “well aware” of problems on the ship, the Dali, that could cause power outages before the accident. The massive vessel struck one of the bridge columns in the early morning hours of March 26 after losing power, causing a section of the structure to collapse into the water.

“The civil lawsuits filed today allege that the collision was caused by a series of catastrophic failures aboard the Dali in the minutes before impact, all as a result of the alleged negligence,” U.S. Attorney Erek Barron for the District of Maryland said in the appeal.

The U.S. government has spent more than $100 million to respond to the disaster and reopen the Port of Baltimore, according to the Justice Department. The state of Maryland could seek damages for rebuilding the bridge, they said.

The lawsuit was filed as part of a case in federal court in Maryland that began shortly after the tragedy, when Grace Ocean Private Limited filed a motion to limit its legal liability for the disaster. On Tuesday, the families of three of the construction workers who died on March 26 announced they would seek to hold the Singapore-based company legally responsible, a motion that, if successful, could earn them financial compensation.

In an exclusive TV interview Maria del Carmen Castellon, who lost her husband Miguel Luna in the bridge collapse, told CBS News this week that “justice” for her would be to have him back in her life. She called her husband and the workers who died that day “heroes.”

“They were there,” she noted, “so that this country could have better streets. And these bridges, so that conditions could be better.”