Settlement Will Cover Federal Costs Incurred to Restore Access to The Port of Baltimore.
UPDATE 5/12/2026: Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced that the State of Maryland has reached a final settlement of $2.25 billion with Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., the owner and operator of the M/V Dali, resolving the State’s claims against those parties arising from the cargo ship’s March 26, 2024 allision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The settlement resolves claims brought against the vessel interests by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Civil Litigation Division 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), in coordination with a team of outside counsel with expertise in maritime law and complex litigation.
This settlement does not resolve the State’s claims against the shipbuilder, Hyundai Heavy Industries. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), in its final report issued in November 2025, found Hyundai Heavy Industries to be at fault in causing the M/V Dali’s loss of power and its allision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The State intends to pursue those claims.
“The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sent shockwaves through Maryland and caused damages on a scale this State had never seen,” said Attorney General Anthony G. 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.”
On the morning of March 26, 2024, the M/V Dali crashed into a supporting column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing its catastrophic collapse. Six construction workers lost their lives: Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, Jose Mynor Lopez, Carlos Hernández, Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, and Maynor Yasir Suazo Sandoval. Two others were injured.
The disaster brought shipping at the Port of Baltimore to a complete halt, disrupted the livelihoods of thousands of workers, rerouted traffic through communities already bearing disproportionate burdens, and triggered economic ripple effects that continue to be felt across the State.
Within hours of the collapse, Attorney General Brown appointed Special Assistant Attorney General Katie Dorian to lead the coordinated, statewide legal effort on behalf of the State and its agencies affected by the disaster. Attorney General Brown also immediately engaged maritime counsel to protect the State’s interests from day one, while the Office moved swiftly to assemble a full litigation team.
In April 2024, Attorney General Brown toured the disaster site by boat to witness first-hand the scale of the destruction, viewing the wreckage of the bridge, the salvage efforts underway, and the full scope of what the Dali had left behind. Alongside the Attorney General, a team of maritime experts acting on behalf of the Office boarded the Dali and conducted an approximately 10-hour inspection of the ship, their first up-close examination of its contents and damage.
In May 2024, following approval by both the Maryland Transportation Authority Board and the Maryland Board of Public Works (BPW), the OAG finalized a team of five outside law firms to serve as Assistant Counsel. Selected through an open, competitive process for their deep expertise in maritime disasters, tort litigation, insurance recovery, and dispute resolution, the firms are: Kelley Drye & Warren LLP; Liskow and Lewis, APLC; Partridge LLC; The Lanier Law Firm, PLLC; and, serving as local counsel, Downs Ward Bender Herzog & Kintigh, P.A.
On September 24, 2024, Attorney General Brown, joined by Governor Wes Moore, announced the filing of a claim in a pending lawsuit against Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd. in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. The State sought damages for the destruction of the bridge, environmental harm, lost toll revenues, and the wide-ranging economic losses sustained by Maryland and its residents.
From the outset, Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine sought to cap their total liability at approximately $43.7 million, the estimated post-disaster value of the Dali, by invoking the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851, a maritime law that ties a shipowner’s liability to the value of the vessel after a disaster. A $43.7 million cap would have represented a small fraction of the damages caused by the loss of the bridge.
In November 2025, the NTSB released its final report on the collapse, tracing the cause of the Dali’s blackout to a single loose signal wire in the ship’s electrical control center and concluding that the disaster was entirely preventable. The NTSB also identified Hyundai Heavy Industries, the builder of the M/V Dali, as bearing fault for the ship’s loss of power.
In April 2026, with a June 1 trial approaching, the State announced it had reached a settlement in principle with Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine. Today, that agreement has been finalized.
In reaching this agreement, the State carefully examined the available resources of Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine, including available insurance limits, and concluded that the settlement maximizes the recovery available from the vessel interests.
The State also recognizes and supports that the families of those who lost their lives and those who were injured deserve to receive just compensation from the Dali interests. Those claims are being pursued separately by counsel representing the victims’ families.
The State’s pursuit of accountability does not end here. Attorney General Brown intends to pursue claims against Hyundai Heavy Industries for its fault and share of the State’s damages.
Attorney General Brown thanks Civil Division Chief Robert A. Scott, Senior Assistant Attorney General Howard Feldman, Assistant Attorney General Jessica Finberg, Administrative Officer Hannah Woods, Special Assistant Attorney General for Key Bridge Recovery and Restoration Katie Dorian, retired Principal Counsel for the Maryland Transportation Authority Kim Millender, and Assistant Counsel: Kelley Drye & Warren LLP; Liskow and Lewis, APLC; Partridge LLC; The Lanier Law Firm, PLLC; and Downs Ward Bender Herzog & Kintigh, P.A.
UPDATE 4/12/2026: Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced that the State of Maryland has reached a settlement in principle with Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., the owner and operator of the M/V Dali, resolving a portion of the State’s claims arising from the cargo ship’s March 26, 2024 allision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The settlement resolves claims brought against the vessel interest by the Office of the Attorney General’s Civil Litigation Division 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), in coordination with a team of outside counsel with expertise in maritime law and complex litigation. This settlement does not resolve any claims the State may have against the shipbuilder, Hyundai.
“For two years, Maryland workers, families, and communities have carried the weight of a disaster that should never have happened. The Dali’s crash into the Key Bridge disrupted the Port of Baltimore, devastated livelihoods, and sent economic shockwaves across our State that are still being felt today,” said Attorney General Brown. “Our work is not finished, but this settlement is an important step toward making Maryland whole.”
The settlement is being finalized. The Office of the Attorney General will have no further comment on the matter at this time.
Background
Two years ago, the M/V Dali’s allision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge set off an unprecedented catastrophe for the State of Maryland. Six construction workers lost their lives. Thousands more felt the economic and human consequences in the months and years that followed. The collapse of one of the region’s most vital infrastructure arteries brought shipping at the Port of Baltimore to a complete halt, disrupted the livelihoods of thousands of workers, rerouted traffic through communities already bearing disproportionate burdens, and triggered economic ripple effects still being felt across the state.
The State’s claims, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of 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.
UPDATE 10/24/2024: The Justice Department announced today that Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited, the Singaporean corporations that owned and operated the Motor Vessel DALI, have agreed to pay $101,980,000 to resolve a civil claim brought by the United States for costs borne in responding to the catastrophic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The settlement resolves the United States’ claims for civil damages for $103,078,056 under the Rivers and Harbors Act, Oil Pollution Act, and general maritime law. The settlement monies will go to the U.S. Treasury and to the budgets of several federal agencies directly affected by the allision or involved in the response.
“Nearly seven months after one of the worst transportation disasters in recent memory, which claimed six lives and caused untold damage, we have reached an important milestone with today’s settlement,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “Thanks to the hard work of the Justice Department attorneys since day one of this disaster, we were able to secure this early settlement of our claim, just over one month into litigation. This resolution ensures that the costs of the federal government’s cleanup efforts in the Fort McHenry Channel are borne by Grace Ocean and Synergy and not the American taxpayer.”
“This is a tremendous outcome that fully compensates the United States for the costs it incurred in responding to this disaster and holds the owner and operator of the DALI accountable,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The prompt resolution of this matter also avoids the expense associated with litigating this complex case for potentially years.”
In the early morning hours of March 26, the Motor Vessel DALI left the Port of Baltimore bound for Sri Lanka. While navigating through the Fort McHenry Channel, the vessel lost power, regained power, and then lost power again before striking the bridge. The bridge collapsed and plunged into the water below, tragically killing six people. In addition to this heartbreaking loss of life, the wreck of the DALI and the remains of the bridge were left to obstruct the navigable channel, bringing all shipping into and out of the Port of Baltimore to a standstill. The loss of the bridge also severed a critical highway in the transportation infrastructure and blocked a key artery for local commuters.
The United States led the response efforts of dozens of federal, state, and local agencies to remove about 50,000 tons of steel, concrete, and asphalt from the channel and from the DALI itself. While removal operations were underway, the United States set up temporary channels to start relieving the bottleneck at the port and mitigate some of the economic devastation caused by the DALI. The Fort McHenry Channel was cleared by June 10, and the Port of Baltimore was once again open for commercial navigation.
On Sept. 18, the Justice Department filed a civil lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, seeking over $100 million in damages from Grace Ocean and Synergy. The Department’s claim was part of a legal action that the vessel companies filed shortly after the tragedy, in which they seek exoneration or limitation of their liability to approximately $43.7 million. Today’s settlement is in addition to $97,294 recently paid by Grace Ocean to the Coast Guard National Pollution Fund Center for costs incurred to abate the threat of oil pollution arising from the incident.
The settlement does not include any damages for the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The State of Maryland built, owned, maintained, and operated the bridge, and attorneys on the state’s behalf filed their own claim for those damages. Pursuant to the governing regulation, funds recovered by the State of Maryland for reconstruction of the bridge will be used to reduce the project costs paid for in the first instance by federal tax dollars.
The resolution of the civil matter was handled by attorneys from the Civil Division’s Aviation, Space & Admiralty Litigation Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, Baltimore Division.
UPDATE: On March 26, 2024, the Francis Scott Key Bridge (I-695) in Baltimore suffered a catastrophic collapse after the Singapore-flagged container ship “Dali” collided with one of its support pillars. The collision occurred around 1:28 a.m. and resulted in a mass casualty incident.
Following the incident, search and rescue operations were immediately launched, involving multiple local and federal agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, Maryland State Police, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Recovery efforts were challenging due to the extensive debris field in the water.
Six bodies were recovered, and two people were rescued,: one uninjured, the other transported to a hospital in critical condition. The Francis Scott Key Bridge, which spanned the Patapsco River and was part of Baltimore’s Outer Harbor Crossing, was the longest bridge in the Baltimore metropolitan area. Originally built as a steel arch-shaped continuous through-truss structure, its main span measured 1,200 feet, making it one of the longest continuous trusses in the world.
The incident has led to significant legal action, with families of the victims and labor organizations filing lawsuits against the shipping company and possibly bridge oversight agencies, alleging negligence in both the vessel’s navigation and bridge safety protocols.
Ongoing investigations are expected to examine the structural integrity of the bridge and the circumstances surrounding the collision to identify contributing factors and prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Hours after the collapse, President Joe Biden said that the federal government would pay for the entire cost of reconstructing the bridge.[46] On May 2, 2024, Maryland Department of Transportation officials said they plan to replace the bridge by autumn 2028 at an estimated cost of $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion.[7]
On Tuesday, March 26, 2024, at 1:28 a.m., the Francis Scott Key Bridge (I-695) completely collapsed after a Singapore flagged container ship “Dali” collided with a support pillar.
The collapse has cited a mass casualty incident resulting in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Howard County, Anne Arundel County, along with search and rescue teams from the U.S Coast Guard, Maryland State Police Aviation Command Troopers 1, Trooper 6, and Department of Natural Resources, MDTA are on the scene.
As of 2:00 a.m., rescue crews are reporting at least 8 construction workers were on the bridge, one was recovered from the water. 7 are still missing along with an unknown number of vehicles that were on the bridge during the collapse.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge, known originally as the Outer Harbor Crossing until it was renamed in 1977 or simply as the Key Bridge or Beltway Bridge, was a steel arch-shaped continuous through truss bridge spanning the lower Patapsco River and outer Baltimore Harbor / Port carrying Maryland Route 695 in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The main span of 1,200 feet (366 m) was the third longest span of any continuous truss in the world. It was the longest bridge in the Baltimore metropolitan area.
