Among the more than 4,000 containers on the Dali carrying consumer goods, electronics and some hazmat, at least one was carrying something much more personal: a crib, kitchenware, children’s books and other goods a young family needed to set up their life thousands of miles away from Baltimore.
That family is joining the slew of interested people and parties who are trying to prevent the owner of the ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March from limiting its liability in the disaster.
The federal, state, city and Baltimore County governments have all objected to the Dali’s owner and manager’s seeking to limit liability, as have businesses, the families of victims and workers, and have sought to recoup damages from the collapse of the Key Bridge.
The claimants are joined by a self-described young family who moved from the United States to Australia and had a container of household goods that was being shipped on the Dali. Because of the crash, that shipment has been — obviously — delayed.
The complainant writes that he was “forced to repurchase essential household items,” including clothes, children’s books, kitchenware and a crib. The man who filed the complaint did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The man is seeking compensation for the losses he’s incurred plus reasonably anticipated future losses, for a total of $6,054 AUD, which is about $4,080 US.
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The family had to replace a crib and crib mattress, children’s clothing, adult clothing, a baby changing table, kitchenware, baby gates and more, according to a table included in the complaint.
The complainant also reserved the right to pursue future damages, up to more than $83,400, because, the man wrote, “I have not received evidence that my container is accounted for and undamaged.”
The writer of the complaint said he tried to purchase some items secondhand to save money — and said that is one reason why he was unable to include receipts in the court filing.
The filing includes emails and other records to show the complainant has closed a bank account that would be able to provide transaction receipts; it also includes a descriptive inventory of items that were loaded into air freight, including an espresso machine, tools, clothes and toys.
That same list shows some items that were voided from airfreight for going over the weight allowance; items that were voided were placed into sea shipment, according to documents included in the court filing, necessitating replacement.
The owner and manager of the Dali, Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private, and manager, Synergy Marine Group respectively, are seeking to limit their liability in the accident that collapsed the bridge, under the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851. That law gives ship owners the opportunity to try to limit their liability to the value of the vessel and its freight at the end of the voyage.
In this case, that would be about $43.67 million.
Meanwhile, Maryland officials estimate it will cost between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion to rebuild the Key Bridge. The state has a contract out with a construction firm to design the bridge. Officials hope the new bridge will be open to traffic by 2028.
Multiple investigations into the night of the crash continue, including a potential criminal probe. The National Transportation Safety Board in a preliminary report said the Dali, which lost power before hitting the bridge, also suffered power outages before it left the port.
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