BALTIMORE (AP) — Federal investigators on Saturday boarded a ship operated by the same company as the cargo ship that crashed. Deadly Baltimore Bridge CollapseThe FBI acknowledged this.
In a statement, spokesmen for the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Maryland confirmed that authorities had boarded the Maersk Saltoro, a ship managed by Synergy Marine Group.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Criminal Investigation and the Coast Guard Investigative Service are on board the Maersk Saltoro and conducting court-authorized law enforcement operations,” a statement from the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Officials did not provide further details. The boarding of the ship by federal authorities was first reported by The Washington Post.
In a lawsuit on WednesdayThe Justice Department alleges that the Dali’s owner, Grace Ocean Pvt. Ltd., and its management company, Synergy Marine Group, both of Singapore, recklessly cut corners and ignored known electrical problems on the ship, which lost power just before it struck a pillar of the Francis Scott Quay Bridge in March.
The Justice Department alleges that the massive ship’s mechanical and electrical systems were “makeshift” and improperly maintained, leading to a power outage just before it struck the bridge. A worker was killed When the bridge falls into the water.
The collapse disrupted commercial shipping through the Port of Baltimore for several months, after which It was fully reopened in June..
The ship had been en route from Baltimore to Sri Lanka when it lost power and became unsteerable.
The Justice Department is seeking recovery of more than $100 million the government spent to remove the underwater wreckage and reopen the city’s port.
The two companies filed suit in court a few days after the collapse. Limiting Liability The lawsuit, which could become the most expensive maritime accident lawsuit in history, has been brought against it by Justice Department officials, who say the lawsuit’s attempts to limit liability are without merit in law and have vowed to vigorously fight it.
The Justice Department argued in its lawsuit that ship owners and operators “must be deterred from such reckless and extremely harmful conduct.”
According to the agency’s documents, the Dali has “sister ships,” which would include the Grace Ocean and the Synergy itself.
The lawsuit says the companies “continue to operate vessels, including Dali’s sister vessels, in U.S. waters and derive economic benefits from those activities and therefore must be restrained.”
Grace Ocean spokesman Darrell Wilson confirmed that the FBI and Coast Guard boarded the Maersk Saltoro in the Port of Baltimore on Saturday morning.
Wilson previously said the owners and managers “look forward to the day we present the facts in court” regarding the Justice Department lawsuit.
Dali was trapped in the ruins of the collapse for months. Rescued and refloated, Departing Norfolk, VirginiaIt left for China on Thursday afternoon on its first international voyage since the March 26 disaster.
Justice Department officials declined to answer questions Wednesday about whether a criminal investigation into the bridge collapse was ongoing. FBI agents board the Dali In April.
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Mathis reported from Nashville, Tennessee.
