Bill aims to hold foreign vessels more liable in Key Bridge disaster

BALTIMORE -- There's a new effort in Congress aiming to hold the owners of the Dali more liable in the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.

U.S. Rep. John Garamendi of California introduced the Justice for Victims of Foreign Vessel Accidents Act Tuesday. 

While the bill's full text isn't available yet, Garamendi said it's about evening the playing field, adding that foreign vessels need to be held to a higher standard.

Not long after the Dali crashed into and caused the collapse of the Key Bridge in March, its Singapore-based owner Grace Ocean Private Ltd. acted to limit their liability in the disaster to $43 million.

That bothered Garamendi.

"It's just plain wrong that the taxpayers of America would wind up paying for a very, very expensive new bridge... and the ship owners basically getting away with just $43 million of liability," he said.

U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia co-sponsored the bill. It aims to increase the liability for foreign vessels to up to ten times the dollar value of the vessel and its cargo, minus some expenses, according to Garamendi.

In the case of the Dali, valued at around $90 million, this bill would increase liability to nearly $1 billion.

If passed as is, the bill would retroactively go into effect on March 25, 2024, one day before the bridge collapsed.

Garamendi said U.S. vessels are already held to similar standards and requirements.

In its ongoing investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, found the Dali lost power multiple times before crashing into the bridge.

"There really is no regulatory authority to make sure [foreign] ships are operating safely," Garamendi said. "On the other hand, American ships...are very, very heavily regulated. They go through annual inspections and they have to meet very stringent requirements."

The city of Baltimore and Baltimore County have filed lawsuits against Grace Ocean and the ship's manager, Synergy Marine Pte. Ltd., to ensure the two entities are held responsible for what happened.

Attorneys representing the victims and their families of the collapse said their clients support Garamendi's bill.

"This legislation protects all Americans from having their lives shattered by corporate vessels from foreign countries due to preventable failures," the attorneys said in a statement.

Garamendi said he's been in contact with the Maryland Congressional Delegation about this bill and he has their support.

The bill has been referred to the House Transporation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Judiciary Committee. No word yet on when it'll be discussed.