The companies that own and operate the container ship that destroyed the Key Bridge will pay $2.25 billion to settle with Maryland ahead of trial in federal court.
Details of the agreement became public Tuesday, hours after federal authorities announced criminal charges against Synergy Marine Group, the Singaporean operator of the container ship Dali.
The Maryland attorney generalβs office first announced the deal in April, describing it as a settlement in principle. Officials did not disclose the amount at that time.
βThe collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sent shockwaves through Maryland and caused damages on a scale this State had never seen,β Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a statement. βThis $2.25 billion settlement reflects the full measure of accountability we were able to secure from the vessel interests β and our pursuit of justice is not finished. We will continue to press our claims against the shipbuilder whose fault helped bring this bridge down.β
The settlement is the largest reached so far against Synergy and the Daliβs owner, Grace Ocean Private Ltd.
The companies also agreed to pay just over $100 million to settle with the U.S. Department of Justice. And they recently reached an undisclosed deal with ACE American Insurance Company, which paid out $350 million to the state after the Dali struck the Key Bridge on March 24, 2024.
The state said the settlement does not resolve its claims against the shipbuilder, Hyundai Heavy Industries. The National Transportation Safety Board found Hyundai Heavy Industries to be at fault in the Daliβs loss of power, and the state said it intends to pursue those claims.
The disaster killed six construction workers who were filling potholes on the bridge when the Dali lost power and crashed into it, sending its span into the Patapsco River.
Claims from the victimsβ families and from a road construction inspector who escaped to safety moments before the bridge fell are still pending in federal court.
That civil trial is set to begin June 1. Local businesses that lost income after the bridge collapse also have claims pending.
The trial will determine whether Grace Ocean and Synergy can cap their liability in the disaster at $44 million, the value of the Dali and its cargo.
The cost of rebuilding the Key Bridge could top $5 billion, but under maritime law, the companies can limit the amount theyβre required to pay out if they can show they werenβt aware of problems with the Dali.
Madeleine OβNeill is a freelance reporter based in Baltimore.
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