DALI owners agree to pay $101 million settlement for Key Bridge clean up costs

BALTIMORE —  A $101,980,000 settlement has been reached between the United States Department of Justice (USDJ) and the owners of the DALI for their role in the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March.
On Thursday, the USDJ announced that Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited, two Singaporean corporations that owned the Dali, were found responsible for the collapse.
“This resolution ensures that the costs of the federal government’s cleanup efforts in the Fort McHenry Channel are borne by Grace Ocean and Synergy and not the American taxpayer,” Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer said.
On Sept. 18, the USDJ took legal action in a Maryland court, asking for more than $100 million from Grace Ocean and Synergy after the vessel companies sought exoneration or limited liability to approximately $43.7 million.
The money will go to the U.S. Treasury and several federal agencies that removed about 50,000 tons of steel, concrete, and asphalt from the channel and the DALI itself. 
“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 Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The prompt resolution of this matter also avoids the expense associated with litigating this complex case for potentially years.”  
In addition, Grace Ocean and Synergy have paid $97,294 to help clean up oil pollution from the incident. 
The settlement does not include any compensation for the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Attorneys for the State of Maryland have filed a separate claim for those damages.