(Washington) A couple who own a family business in Baltimore have launched a class action for damages against the Singaporean companies that own and manage the container ship Dalí which caused the collapse of an important bridge for the American economy, according to court documents.
Posted at 1:06 p.m.
A month later, the Dalí is still stuck under debris from the Francis Scott Key Bridge in this US east coast city, blocking some shipping at one of the country’s busiest ports.
A first cargo ship stuck in the port of Baltimore since the collapse on March 26 left Thursday through a new temporary channel 106 meters long and 19 meters wide opened the same day, the fourth operated since the disaster.
Arguing a significant loss of income since the accident, Karen and Charles Austin, and their company American Publishing, filed a class action Thursday in federal court in Maryland, where Baltimore is located.
It targets the Singaporean companies Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine, respectively owner and manager of the vessel.
The couple is acting on behalf of themselves and others “in the same situation”, and reports “tens of thousands of companies, individuals and other entities” likely to join this collective action.
They denounce “the flagrant and potentially criminal negligence” of the owner and manager of the Dalíwhich according to them was “not in seaworthy condition”, and contest their legal request, filed on 1er April, to limit their exposure to $43.67 million.
“Before the destruction of the bridge, the plaintiffs’ business was thriving,” they claim, reporting an 84% drop in revenue in April 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
Six workers who were carrying out road repair work on the bridge when it was struck by the 300-metre-long vessel have been reported missing. The bodies of four of them were found.
The US military said it was working to reopen a permanent, deeper channel by the end of May, in order to return access to the port to normal capacity.
