STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing the owners and operators of the Dali, the cargo ship that toppled the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore back in March. Six construction workers died in that collapse. Wambui Kamau from member Station WYPR has more.
WAMBUI KAMAU, BYLINE: The lawsuit seeks over $100 million to recoup the costs of reopening the Fort McHenry Federal Channel and the Port of Baltimore, following the collapse. Benjamin Mizer is with the U.S. Department of Justice. He says the Singapore-based Grace Ocean, which owns the ship, and Synergy Marine, which operates it, are financially responsible for the cleanup - not U.S. taxpayers. Mizer says they knew of vibration problems on the ship that could lead to blackouts, and didn't fix them.
BENJAMIN MIZER: But instead of taking necessary precautions, they did the opposite. Out of negligence, mismanagement and, at times, a desire to cut costs, they configured the ship's electrical and mechanical systems in a way that prevented those systems from being able to quickly restore propulsion and steering after a power outage.
KAMAU: The crew lost control of the vessel after it experienced multiple power failures shortly after leaving the port. Three families of the six construction workers announced their own lawsuits against the Dali's owners on Tuesday. They want Grace Ocean held accountable. Carmen Luna is now a widow, after her husband Miguel was killed in the collapse. Speaking through a translator, she explains what real justice would look like.
CARMEN LUNA: (Through interpreter) Real justice would have meant that my husband would have never died, and he would be here with me, continuing a life of joy and laughter. Real justice means that no son has to miss their father; no wife has to navigate this world alone.
KAMAU: In April, Grace Ocean filed a petition in U.S. Federal Court to limit its liability to about $44 million. The company also asked the court to impose September 24 as the deadline for any more lawsuits to be filed. For NPR News, I'm Wambui Kamau in Baltimore.
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