Maryland reaches $2.2B settlement with Dali owner and operator

Image generated by Open AI

Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown yesterday announced that the State of Maryland has reached a final settlement of $2.25 billion with Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., the owner and operator of the M/V Dali, resolving the state’s claims against the two parties arising from the giant containership’s March 26, 2024, strike on the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The settlement resolves claims brought against the vessel interests by the Office of the Attorney General’s Civil Litigation Division on behalf of the state and its agencies, including the Maryland Transportation Authority, the Maryland Port Administration, and the Maryland Department of the Environment, in coordination with a team of outside counsel with expertise in maritime law and complex litigation.

Attorney General Brown’s statement notes that, from the outset, Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine sought to cap their total liability at approximately $43.7 million, the estimated post-disaster value of the Dali, by invoking the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851, a maritime law that ties a shipowner’s liability to the value of the vessel after a disaster. A $43.7 million cap would have represented a small fraction of the damages caused by the loss of the bridge.

In reaching this agreement, says the announcement, the state carefully examined the available resources of Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine, including available insurance limits, and concluded that the settlement maximizes the recovery available from the vessel interests.

This settlement does not resolve the state’s claims against the shipbuilder, Hyundai Heavy Industries.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), in its final report issued in November 2025, found Hyundai Heavy Industries to be at fault in causing the M/V Dali’s loss of power and its strike on the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The state intends to pursue those claims.

“The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge sent shockwaves through Maryland and caused damages on a scale this state had never seen,” said Attorney General Brown. “This $2.25 billion settlement reflects the full measure of accountability we were able to secure from the vessel interests — and our pursuit of justice is not finished. We will continue to press our claims against the shipbuilder whose fault helped bring this bridge down.”

BENEFITS OF P&I INSURANCE

“We are honored to have represented the State of Maryland in this complex dispute with Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., owner of the M/V Dali,” said law firm Liskow and Lewis’s maritime shareholder and lead trial counsel David Reisman. “We hope this settlement — one of the largest maritime settlements that we’ve seen in 20 years — brings not just financial resolution, but also a measure of peace, closure, and the necessary resources for Maryland and its residents to rebuild.”

“This case highlights the significant risks of marine transportation and the benefits of the P&I Club mutual insurance system for both insureds and claimants. A vessel owner who was not entered with one of the International Group of P&I Clubs would likely have faced a significant uninsured exposure in a casualty of this scope,” noted Reisman. ”This case highlights the significant risks of marine transportation and the benefits of the P&I Club mutual insurance system for both insureds and claimants. A vessel owner who was not entered with one of the International Group of P&I Clubs would likely have faced a significant uninsured exposure in a casualty of this scope.”

• Read Attorney General Brown’s full announcement HERE.