Justice Department reaches $100 million settlement with two companies in Baltimore bridge collapse

The Justice Department has reached a settlement for more than $100 million with the two corporations that owned and operated the container ship that destroyed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in March.

The Justice Department has reached a settlement for more than $100 million with the two corporations that owned and operated the container ship that destroyed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in March. As part of the settlement, Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited – two Singaporean companies – will pay nearly $102 million to resolve a civil claim alleging that the company’s cost-cutting and negligence in the ship’s maintenance led to the disastrous collision. The city of Baltimore has filed its own claim against the two companies, and families of three of the victims have also said they intend to sue. Additionally, CNN has reported that the FBI has opened a criminal investigation into whether the ship’s crew failed to report an earlier issue that delayed their departure. The payment stemming from Thursday’s settlement will go to the US Treasury and to the budgets of several federal agencies directly affected by the crash or involved in the response, the Justice Department said Thursday. It will not cover any damages for the reconstruction of the bridge, the department said. “Nearly seven months after one of the worst transportation disasters in recent memory, which claimed six lives and caused untold damage, we have reached an important milestone with today’s settlement,” Benjamin Mizer, the Justice Department’s principal deputy associate attorney general, said in a statement. The settlement “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,” Mizer added.