Maryland Announces $2.5 Billion Settlement Over Baltimore Bridge Collapse

The state of Maryland has finalized a $2.5 billion settlement with Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., the owner and operator of the cargo ship Dali, over the ship’s March 26, 2024 allision that caused the collapse of the Baltimore’s Key Bridge and killed six workers.

Attorney General Anthony G. Brown said the settlement resolves civil claims brought against the vessel interests on behalf of the state and its agencies, including the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), the Maryland Port Administration (MPA), and the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE).

Brown said this settlement does not resolve the state’s claims against the shipbuilder, Hyundai Heavy Industries. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), in a report in November 2025, found Hyundai to be at fault in causing the Dali’s loss of power and its crash into the bridge. He said the state intends to pursue those claims.

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“The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sent shockwaves through Maryland and caused damages on a scale this State had never seen,” said Brown. “This $2.25 billion settlement reflects the full measure of accountability we were able to secure from the vessel interests — 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.”

Criminal Charges

Brown’s announcement of the amount of the settlement came the same day that the U.S. government filed criminal charges against ship operators Synergy Marine Pte Ltd, based in Singapore, and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd, based in Chennai, India, along with Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, an Indian national who worked for both companies as the technical superintendent for the Dali.

US Brings Criminal Charges Over Collapse of Baltimore Bridge

The three have been charged with conspiracy, willfully failing to immediately inform the U.S. Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and false statements.

The two Synergy corporations have also been charged with misdemeanor violations of the Clean Water Act, Oil Pollution Act, and Refuse Act for the discharge of pollutants into the Patapsco River, including shipping containers and their contents, oil, and the bridge itself.

Maryland’s Settlement

Maryland’s $2.5 billion civil settlement came following a ruling in January allowing Synergy to proceed with its claims under an 1851 maritime law that limits liability for shipowners. The state of Maryland and wrongful death claimants had sought to prevent Synergy from invoking the Shipowners’ Limitation of Liability Act on the basis that Synergy did not meet the requirements as an owner of the ship and thus is not entitled to limited liability protection granted by the law. But U.S. District Court Judge James K. Bredar denied that motion.

The state did not challenge ship owner Grace Ocean’s invoking of the maritime law. As a result, both Grace Ocean and Synergy are entitled to stand trial on their right to limitation.

The state’s claims, which were filed in federal district court for Maryland in September 2024, alleged that the disaster was the result of negligence, mismanagement, and the reckless operation of a vessel that was not seaworthy and should never have left port. The state sought damages on behalf of its agencies for the destruction of the bridge, harm to the Patapsco River and surrounding environment, lost revenues, and the wide-ranging economic losses sustained by Maryland and its residents.

Grace Ocean has argued that the state officials bear “significant liability and fault” in light of “decades of records” showing the state failed to properly protect the bridge, which was built in the 1970s with minimal pier protection. The ship owner is also suing the shipbuilder, Hyundai.

Judge Approves $102 Million Settlement Over Baltimore Bridge Collapse

In October 2024, the Singaporean owner and operator of the Dali agreed to pay $102 million to resolve a civil claim brought by the United States for costs related to the catastrophic bridge collapse. That payment reimbursed the federal government for money spent clearing massive amounts of debris from the Port of Baltimore’s main shipping channel, which remained closed for months after the collapse.

After announcing that U.S. settlement, a spokesperson for Grace Ocean said it wasn’t an admission of responsibility or wrongdoing.

Estimate to Rebuild Baltimore’s Key Bridge Doubles to $5 Billion

Under the maritime law, a shipowner’s liability for a maritime loss or mishap is limited to the value of the ship and her pending freight if the mishap occurred without the privity of knowledge of the owner. The stipulated value of the Dali is $43.7 million.

In the bridge collapse on March 26, 2024, six construction workers lost their lives. The collapse brought shipping at the Port of Baltimore to a complete halt, disrupted the livelihoods of thousands of workers, and generated economic ripple effects across the state.

Top Photo: Crane involved in salvage operation after Baltimore Key Bridge collapse.
Key Bridge Response 2024 Unified Command photo.

Topics Maryland