Cargo Ship Owner and Manager Seek to Limit Liability for Baltimore Bridge Collapse

The owner and manager of a cargo ship involved in the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge have filed a court petition seeking to limit their legal liability for the deadly disaster. The companies, Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., filed a joint petition to cap their liability at approximately $43.6 million.

The petition was filed under a pre-Civil War provision of an 1851 maritime law that allows companies to seek to limit their liability to the value of the vessel’s remains after a casualty. This mechanism has been used in many notable maritime disasters, according to maritime law attorney James Mercante.

The bridge collapse is estimated to potentially result in insured losses of $2 billion to $4 billion, making it one of the most expensive marine insured losses in history. The collapse resulted in the closure of the Port of Baltimore, a major shipping port, potentially costing the area’s economy hundreds of millions of dollars in lost labor income.

The cost to rebuild the collapsed bridge is estimated to be at least $400 million, with the final amount depending on the new design. Families of the victims may be eligible for wrongful death damages, which can include financial support the victim would have provided to their family, funeral expenses, and the “loss of nurture” the victim would have provided to their children.

The legal process to determine liability and damages in this case is expected to take years to resolve, as experts work to determine what went wrong and what could have been done to prevent the disaster. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for maritime law and liability in similar future incidents.