Bridge collapse in Baltimore could result in hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits for the owner of a container ship
First of all, it is necessary to find out what caused the accident: ship breakdown or negligence
The collision of a cargo ship with a bridge pillar in Baltimore, which caused the bridge to collapse and killed six people, could result in hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits for the owner of the container ship Dali.
The bridge itself costs about $300 million, and modern projects cost at least a billion dollars.
In addition, claims for damages may be filed by the families of the victims and the companies that operate the port of Baltimore.
The ship is owned by the Singaporean company Grace Ocean. Legal experts believe that it has a chance to reduce the amount of claims to tens of millions by limiting liability to the sum of the ship's value after the accident and the value of the cargo on board.
Insurance payments should also help Grace Ocean cover the risks, but the first step is to find out whether the accident was caused by a breakdown or negligence.
The investigation will include a review of the ship's safety log and shipping analogues of black boxes.
According to The Wall Street Journal, since its construction in 2015, the ship has undergone more than 20 inspections, none of which revealed any violations that could have rendered Dali unseaworthy.
One of the most recent inspections took place in September 2023. The US Coast Guard inspected the ship and found no problems. The publication suggests that the breakdown could have been caused by contaminated fuel. Immediately before the accident, the crew reported to the Coast Guard about power problems and loss of power, and the smell of burnt fuel was also felt in the engine room.
Background. As reported, in Baltimore, a Maersk container ship crashed into a bridge and collapsed, killing 6 people. As a result of the accident, several vehicles fell from the bridge, including a truck with a trailer.
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