Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Private Limited, the owner and operator of the DALI ship, have filed a lawsuit against Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), the manufacturer of the ship.
The lawsuit alleges that the ship's collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge back in March 2024 was caused by HHI's negligence, stating that a "defective design" is what led to the loss of power on the ship.
More specifically, the lawsuit states that a loose wire at node 381 on the ship's electrical switchboard caused a power outage at exactly 1:25 a.m., which led to the engine shutting down and a loss of steering.
According to court documents, two minutes after the power went out, a complete electrical blackout occurred. At 1:28 a.m., the ship collided with the Key Bridge.
These claims have not yet been confirmed, however, a report released by the National Transportation Safety Board last year stated that a cable that was supposed to connect with a control for blackout detection was loose.
If not properly connected, the switchboard can lose power without ever being recorded on the ship's sensor, per the NTSB report.
The lawsuit states that HHI knew about the possibility of loose wires in the switchboard and knew, or should have been aware the vessel was at risk of power outages.
Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine PTE have since denied any wrongdoing since April 1, 2024.
Both the owner and operator of the DALI ship have been under much legal scrutiny since the collapse, with 45 current claims pending at this time for property damage, economic damages, clean-up costs, personal injury, wrongful death, survival, workers' compensation reimbursement, and cargo and general average.
The full lawsuit can be read below:
