Maryland Reaches $2.25B Settlement in Key Bridge Collapse

State of MD - Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has announced a $2.25 billion settlement with the owner and operator of the cargo ship responsible for destroying the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The agreement was reached with Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., the companies behind the M/V Dali.

The settlement resolves the State's legal claims on behalf of several agencies, including the Maryland Transportation Authority, the Maryland Port Administration, and the Maryland Department of the Environment.

On March 26, 2024, the M/V Dali crashed into a support column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse. Six construction workers were killed: Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, Jose Mynor Lopez, Carlos Hernandez, Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, and Maynor Yasir Suazo Sandoval. Two others were injured.

The disaster shut down shipping at the Port of Baltimore and disrupted the lives of thousands of workers across the region. Traffic was rerouted through surrounding communities, and the economic impact spread across the entire state.

"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."

Early in the case, Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine tried to limit their total liability to just $43.7 million. That figure was based on the estimated value of the Dali after the disaster, using a maritime law from 1851. Maryland pushed back and kept fighting for a much larger recovery.

In November 2025, the National Transportation Safety Board released its final report.

Investigators traced the cause of the ship's blackout to a single loose signal wire in the electrical control center. The report concluded the disaster was entirely preventable.

The NTSB also placed fault on Hyundai Heavy Industries, the company that built the M/V Dali. Maryland's settlement does not cover claims against the shipbuilder. Attorney General Brown has made clear the State intends to pursue those claims separately.

"We will continue to press our claims against the shipbuilder whose fault helped bring this bridge down," Brown said.

The families of the six workers who were killed, as well as those who were injured, are pursuing their own compensation claims through separate legal counsel. The State has expressed full support for those efforts.

The $2.25 billion agreement was finalized in May 2026, weeks before the case was set to go to trial on June 1.