BALTIMORE: According to the FBI, federal officials on Saturday boarded a ship run by the same business that oversaw a cargo ship that was responsible for a fatal bridge collapse in Baltimore, Maryland. Officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland and the FBI confirmed in comments that law enforcement officers boarded the Maersk Saltoro.
The Synergy Marine Group is in charge of the ship. Statements from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation stated on Saturday morning that “the FBI, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division, and Coast Guard Investigative Services are present aboard the Maersk Saltoro conducting court authorized law enforcement activity.”
Systems are jury rigged
The United States Justice Department filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, alleging that the owners of Dalali, Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and Synergy Marine, both of Singapore, cut corners carelessly and disregarded known electrical issues on the boat. The boat lost power several times just minutes before it collided with a support column on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March.
According to the Justice Department, the large ship’s mechanical and electrical systems were “jury-rigged” and badly maintained, which resulted in a series of additional malfunctions and power outages that rendered the crew and pilots impotent in the face of impending calamity. The ship’s steering failed due to a power outage as it was sailing from Baltimore to Sri Lanka.
The bridge collapsed into the ocean, killing six members of a road construction crew. In addition, before the canal was fully repaired in June, the collapse delayed commercial maritime traffic through the Port of Baltimore for months.
The government spent more than $100 million to remove the underwater wreckage and reopen the city’s port, and the Justice Department is attempting to get that money back. Days after the collapse, the firms filed a court petition in an attempt to reduce their legal exposure in what may turn out to be the most costly maritime accident case in history.
Officials from the Justice Department vowed to forcefully oppose the attempt to limit culpability, stating that it lacks legal merit. The Justice Department claimed in its lawsuit—which also calls for punitive damages—that vessel owners and operators must be “deterred from engaging in such reckless and exceedingly harmful behavior.”
Marine casualties
According to authorities writing in the claim, the Dali has a “sister ship,” thus that includes Grace Ocean and Synergy. The claim mentioned cargo that had been shaken free and shattered equipment in the engine room. Due to safety concerns, an independent organization halted additional electrical testing on the ship since its electrical equipment was in such poor condition.
While the ship was still docked in Baltimore, there had also been power disruptions. Authorities claim that the blackouts, which are deemed “reportable marine casualties,” never occurred and that they should have been reported to the US Coast Guard. On its first international journey since the catastrophe on March 26, the Dali departed Norfolk, Virginia, on Thursday afternoon headed for China.
The ship was trapped amidst the collapse’s wreckage for months before it could be freed and refloated. On Wednesday, representatives of the Justice Department declined to respond to inquiries regarding the status of the criminal investigation into the collapse of the bridge. In April, FBI agents boarded the Dali.