US gets $100m settlement for Baltimore bridge collapse

“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 Brian Boynton, head of the justice department’s civil division, in a press release on Thursday.

The department said the settlement does not include any damages for the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The state has filed its own claim for those damages.

The US blamed the incident on electrical and mechanical systems failures on the ship. It alleged the Dali was inadequately maintained, which it said caused the ship to lose power and crash into a bridge column.

Six men – all construction workers fixing potholes on the bridge – died when they were plunged into the water after the container ship hit the structure.

The Dali’s collision sent tonnes of debris into the Patapsco River, freezing traffic for months at one of the busiest ports in the US.

In response, the US coordinated dozens of federal, state and local agencies to remove 50,000 tonnes of steel, concrete, and asphalt from the shipping channel and from the Dali, the justice department said.

The bridge collapse also caused “economic devastation” as shipping was brought to a standstill. The Port of Baltimore reopened in June for commercial navigation.

The incident also blocked a key route for local commuters.