Authorities confirmed that federal agents were on board a container ship in the Port of Baltimore on Saturday that is controlled by the same company as the ship that capsized the Francis Scott Key Bridge earlier this year.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Criminal Investigation and the Coast Guard Investigative Service are on board the Maersk Saltoro and conducting court-authorized law enforcement operations,” Angelina Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Maryland District Attorney’s Office, said in a statement to USA Today.
The Saltoro is managed by Synergy Marine Group, the same company that managed the Dali, which struck a bridge and fell into the Patapsco River on March 26. The accident killed six bridge workers and shut down services at the Port of Baltimore.
The Washington Post reported that reporters saw the ship dock in port early Saturday morning and federal agents waiting in a line on the dock outside.
It was unclear whether Saturday’s action was related to the ongoing investigation into the bridge collapse, and officials said they would not comment further. Synergy Marine Group did not respond to a request for comment Saturday.
US government sues Dali’s owners
Earlier this week, the Department of Justice filed a $103 million civil lawsuit against the Dali’s owners, Synergy Marine Private Limited and Grace Ocean Private Limited, seeking recovery of costs incurred in responding to the incident and removing the wreckage so the port can reopen in June.
The lawsuit also includes undisclosed punitive damages. The Justice Department accused both companies of negligence.
“This was an entirely avoidable catastrophe, the result of a series of fully foreseeable negligence committed by the owners and operators of Dali,” Brian Boynton, director of the Justice Department’s civil division, said in a statement.
The Dali lost power twice before leaving the port of Baltimore, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The two companies that own and operate the Dali previously filed a motion to limit liability, but the city opposed the motion.
In a statement, the companies said they expected the allegations and “look forward to battling them in court to uncover the truth.”
The families of the six people who died when the bridge collapsed, the company that employed the workers, and survivors of the collapse have also filed lawsuits against the company ahead of the September 24 deadline.
Contributors: Ndeah Yancey Bragg, USA Today, Reuters