Maryland to get $350 million payout in Baltimore bridge collapse
BALTIMORE (CBS/CNN) — The state of Maryland is about to get an insurance payment of $350 million related to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in late March, according to the broker handling its policy on the structure.
The payment would come from insurer Chubb, which has a $350 million limit on the policy it had written on the bridge, according to Henry Daar, head of property claims, North America for WTW, the broker on the policy. The payment will be made soon rather than waiting for the construction of a new bridge to begin, a process that could be years away.
The policy will only cover a small fraction of the billions in damages and the clean-up costs associated with March 26 collapse caused by a cargo ship, the Dali, a Singaporean-flagged container vessel, that lost power and slammed into one of the bridge's support columns.
The planned payment by Chubb was first reported Thursday by the Wall Street Journal.
Salvage operations ongoing to reopen port
So far, 3,000 tons of wreckage and debris have been removed from the site of the collapse for disposal or recycling, according to the latest update from the Unified Command overseeing the effort. An estimated 50,000 tons of wreckage still needs to be removed from the site.
Unified command reports that more than 350 uniformed and civilian workers from 53 federal, state and local agencies nationwide are deployed to Baltimore for the ongoing recovery and salvage efforts. In addition, 553 contract specialists are actively involved in various roles related to dive, crane and vessel operations.
The accident temporarily closed much of the operations of the Port of Baltimore, trapping ships in the port. Four temporary channels have been reopened since the accident allow some resumption of ship traffic. As of a week ago, 171 commercial vessels have transited the alternate channels, including five of the vessels waiting to depart Baltimore since March 26.
Baltimore suing ship's owner, manager
Last month the city of Baltimore filed a legal claim on Monday against Grace Ocean Private Limited, which owns the ship; and Synergy Marine PTE LTD, which managed it.
The lawsuit claims the owners of the Dali were negligent in letting the ship leave the Port of Baltimore without failing to fix known power problems. Alarms showing an inconsistent power supply on the Dali allegedly sounded off before it left the port, but continued on its voyage anyway, court filings state.
The city also accuses the crew of being incompetent and inattentive to its duties, adding allegations of failing to maintain or use several pieces of equipment, including the ship's engine and propulsion system.
But the petitioners in this suit already made a move earlier this month attempting to limit their liability.
Six days after the bridge collapse. the two companies filed a joint claim of their own, seeking to free them from liability or limit damages to the value of the ship and estimated revenue, which sits at about $44 million, documents state.
One body remains missing
Six construction workers who were repairing potholes on the bridge were killed in the collapse. As of May 2, five bodies have been found, but a sixth remains unaccounted for.
The men were filling potholes on the bridge at the time of the collapse. They were originally from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
Two bodies were recovered a day after the collapse, and three more bodies have been found over the weeks following the disaster.
The cause of the collision has yet to be officially determined. A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board could be out as soon as next week. But a final report could be more than a year away.
The-CNN-Wire
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