As work continues to remove the steel and concrete of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge and open a fourth channel to allow more vessels into the Port of Baltimore, the City of Baltimore has filed suit against the operators of the container ship that struck the bridge during the early morning hours of March 26.
In a suit filed in the U.S. District Court of Maryland, the city claims the collapse of the bridge was the result of the “gross negligence, and recklessness, and as a result of the unseaworthiness of the vessel.” The city’s suit also said the crew of the 984-foot-long container ship was incompetent, inattentive and lacked proper training.
The Singapore-based owner of the Dali have asked the same federal court to limit its financial liability, citing a pre-Civil War maritime statute.
Meanwhile, work continues to open a fourth larger channel that would allow for bigger cargo ships to enter and exit the port. The Baltimore District Army Corps of Engineers on Monday, April 22, removed a 560-ton section of structural steel. They said they have cleared enough wreckage from a 35-foot-deep limited access channel for it to be open for limited ship traffic by the end of the month.
The bridge collapsed March 26 when the container ship Dali lost power and struck one of the bridge’s supports. Six members of a road crew working on the bridge at the time died. Four bodies have been recovered.
The collapse of the bridge has caused a huge traffic nightmare for commuters and truckers alike.
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