Baltimore bridge collapse, 6 dead: S'pore owner of cargo ship to pay S$134 million

Following the collision of a Singapore-flagged vessel with a bridge in Baltimore, two Singapore-based companies will be paying the U.S. government about S$134.5 million.

The cargo ship had crashed into a supporting structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland, U.S. on the afternoon of Mar. 26, 2024, causing a large part of the bridge to collapse.

The incident killed six people, reported Reuters.

Singapore to help with cleanup costs

Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited, the two Singapore-based corporations, were asked to cover the cleanup fee so as to prevent the cost from falling on American taxpayers, The Guardian reported.

The companies had reportedly tried to limit their payment to S$58 million.

Labelling the sum as “woefully inadequate”, the U.S government filed a lawsuit against them, which led to the corporations agreeing to fork out S$134.5 million instead.

The U.S. Justice Department attributed the collision to the neglect of electrical problems aboard the ship, stating that the crash was "entirely avoidable".

The aftermath saw the state having to clear 50 million kg of debris.

Operations involved over 1,500 responders and 500 specialists, as well as 56 federal, state, and local agencies, reported The Guardian.

The state of Maryland estimated that rebuilding the bridge would cost a hefty US$1.7 billion to US$1.9 billion (S$2.2 billion to S$2.5 billion), and would take about four years.

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Top image via BNO News/X