Sunday, September 22, 2024

Feds conduct 'authorized search' of Dali's sister ship in Baltimore

By Mike Heuer


Federal authorities boarded the Maersk Saltoro, sister ship of the Maersk Dali that caused the Baltimore bridge collapse on March 26 that killed six, 15 minutes after the Saltoro entered the Port of Baltimore at 5:45 a.m. Saturday. 
File Photo by Julia Nikhinson/UPI | License Photo


Sept. 21 (UPI) -- Federal authorities on Saturday morning boarded a sister ship of the Maersk Dali, which caused the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse that killed six on March 26.

Investigators with the FBI, Environmental Protection Agency's Criminal Investigation Division and the Coast Guard's Investigative Services boarded the Maersk Saltoro in the Port of Baltimore while "conducting authorized law enforcement activity," the FBI told NPR and WBAL TV.

The Singapore-based Synergy Marine Group manages the Saltoro and the Dali, which share the same design and were built by South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries in 2015. Each vessel measures 984 feet in length.

Synergy spokesman Darrell Wilson confirmed the Coast Guard and FBI boarded the Saltoro and referred any questions to those agencies, the Washington Post reported.

Related
Container ship Dali, crew leave Baltimore for first time since bridge collapse
Port of Baltimore shipping channel fully reopens after bridge collapse in March
NTSB: Ship that crashed into Baltimore bridge lost power twice before leaving port

The vessel entered the Port of Baltimore at 5:45 a.m., and the federal authorities boarded the Saltoro 15 minutes later.

The boarding occurred after the Department of Justice on Wednesday filed a $100 million federal lawsuit against the owner and operator of the Dali in the Maryland U.S. District Court in Baltimore.

The $100 million demand reflects the cost incurred while cleaning up the collapsed bridge.

The defendants "sent an ill-prepared crew on an abjectly unseaworthy vessel to navigate the United States' waterways," the DOJ wrote in the lawsuit.

Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private owns the Dali, which is operated by Synergy and was chartered by the Danish shipping company AP Moller-Maersk when the March tragedy occurred.

The debris was cleared and the shipping channel opened in June but vehicle traffic likely will be cut off until 2028 when a new bridge is built.

No comments:

Post a Comment