Baltimore officials accused the ship that crashed into the Key Bridge of being 'unseaworthy' and leaving port even though its alarms had already gone off

The wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge is seen beyond the stern of the container ship Dali weeks after the catastrophic collapse.

Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

• Baltimore officials are blaming the Francis Scott Key Bridge's collapse on the Dali's owner and manager.
• In a legal filing on Monday, they accused the ship of leaving port even after its alarms went off.
• The filing also accused the Dali's crew of failing to follow local navigation rules and being untrained.

City of Baltimore officials on Monday accused the owner and manager of the ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge of allowing the vessel to set sail despite it being "clearly unseaworthy."

In a legal filing against Synergy Marine, the manager of the Dali, and Grace Ocean, the ship's owner, attorneys for the city accused both companies of being "grossly and potentially criminally negligent."

The allegations came in response to a petition filed in Maryland federal court by the firms, which are both based in Singapore, asking for their liability in the bridge disaster to be capped at $43.6 million.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and the city council are contesting the petition, asking for no limit to be enacted.

Their filing contains a litany of allegations blaming Synergy Marine and Grace Ocean for negligence and reckless management that resulted in the bridge's collapse on March 26.

"Reporting has indicated that, even before leaving port, alarms showing an inconsistent power supply on the Dali had sounded," the court petition reads. "The Dali left port anyway, despite its clearly unseaworthy condition."

City officials further accused those in charge of the Dali of deploying an "incompetent crew" that was "inattentive to its duties," lacked proper training, and "failed to comply with local navigation customs."

A spokesperson for Synergy Marine said it would be inappropriate to comment on ongoing court proceedings. Grace Ocean did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider.

The Singapore-flagged Dali struck a support pillar of the Key Bridge in the early morning of March 26 as it left the Port of Baltimore for Sri Lanka, causing most of the bridge's span to collapse into the Patapsco River.

Six construction workers who were repairing potholes on the bridge were killed.

Authorities found that the 984-foot ship lost power as it navigated toward the bridge, causing it to lose propulsion. The crew on board broadcast a mayday call just before impact, allowing traffic police to seal access to the bridge.

Two ship pilots, or local experts on the terrain and river, were on board the Dali then. These specialists typically advise the ship's master, who pilots the vessel, on navigating such waters and weather conditions. The 22 all-Indian crew on the Dali were unharmed.

The Key Bridge's collapse has deeply wounded Baltimore's economy, cutting off maritime traffic to and from the city's port — the ninth-largest in the US — and disrupting trucking routes. The port is estimated to bring about $15 million in economic activity daily.

"Tens of thousands of jobs rely directly on the Port," the city officials' filing said. There are concerns of a further ripple effect in the regional economy, with port workers made jobless now unable to spend at local businesses.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the cleanup of the bridge site and removing fallen containers from the Patapsco, is investigating the cause of the allision.

The FBI also opened a criminal investigation last week into whether any of the Dali's crew may have known about system issues on the vessel, The Washington Post reported.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has said that the federal government will fund the reconstruction of the Key Bridge, and has agreed to disburse some $60 million in aid to the region.

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