News / Dali sister Maersk Saltoro boarded by FBI on arrival in Baltimore

Maersk Saltoro. Photo: VesselFinder

The 9,900 teu Maersk Saltoro, a sister ship to Grace Ocean-owned Dali, which caused the collapse of the Francis Key Scott bridge in Baltimore this year, was boarded by FBI investigators as it arrived at the port over the weekend.

According to vesselvalues.com, Maersk Saltoro and Dali – are both owned and managed by Synergy Marine which, with Grace Ocean, is the subject of $100m-plus damages claim from the US government.

The claim arises from the Dali bridge allision and accusations that the companies were negligent in their operation of the vessel during the incident, which caused the deaths of six workers on the bridge.

The FBI and US Attorney’s Office said: “The Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division and Coast Guard Investigative Services are present aboard the Maersk Saltoro, conducting court-authorised law enforcement activity.”

No further details were provided.

The Maersk Saltoro is moored in Baltimore, according to vesselvalues.com AIS. The containership is scheduled to arrive at the port of Colombo on 23 Oct, though it could be delayed by the FBI investigation.

The vessel was built in 2015 and has a length of 300 metres, with a 48-metre beam, and like the Dali is under long-term charter to Maersk Line.

The March incident in Baltimore prompted the lawsuit against the owner and manager of the Dali by the US Justice Department in the District Court of Maryland. Filed last Wednesday, it claims “careless and grossly negligent decisions” were made by Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine, “who recklessly chose to send an unseaworthy vessel to navigate a critical waterway”.

The suit seeks to recover over $100m “in costs the US incurred in responding to the fatal disaster and for clearing the entangled wreck and bridge debris from the navigable channel so the port could reopen”.

The court document added: “This tragedy was entirely avoidable. The electrical and mechanical systems on the Dali were improperly maintained and configured in a way that violated safety regulations… none of the four means available to help control the Dali — her propeller, rudder, anchor, or bow thruster – worked when they were needed.”

Grace Ocean spokesperson Darrell Wilson said the owner and manager “look[ed] forward to [its] day in court to set the record straight”.

A hearing date is yet to be set.