The owners of the Dali ship have denied all responsibility for the deadly crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and are seeking a cap of $43.7m for any lawsuit payouts.
In a federal court filing on Monday, the ship’s owner Grace Ocean Private Limited and operator Synergy Marine PTE denied any fault or neglect over the collapse that claimed the lives of six construction workers.
“The [bridge collapse] was not due to any fault, neglect, or want of care on the part of [ship owner & operator], the Vessel, or any persons or entities for whose acts [ship owner & operator] may be responsible,” it reads.
The move to limit liability comes as Baltimore officials opened a temporary shipping route around the wreckage on Monday, to get trade and movement of goods in and out of the port back up and running.
Captain David O’Connell described this as “an important first step along the road to reopening the port of Baltimore”. A second temporary route for deeper vessels will open in the coming days.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore warned the disaster is a “national economic catastrophe” that may have a wide-ranging impact on the US economy.
