According to the New York Times, the US Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit seeking $103 million in compensation from two Singaporean companies that owned and operated the container ship that collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, in March. The incident killed six people and paralyzed a major traffic route in the northeastern United States.

The two Singaporean companies being sued, Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine, will have to compensate the US government for the money spent to respond to the disaster, including cleaning up the Dali wreckage and 50,000 pieces of debris from the Francis Scott Key Bridge to reopen the waterway in June.

The Justice Department lawsuit comes as Grace Ocean and Synergy are taking legal action to limit their liability for the accident to $44 million, a level that U.S. officials say is insufficient.

In addition to the Justice Department, the construction company Brawner Builders, which lost six people in the bridge collapse, has also filed a civil lawsuit.

The lawsuit seeks to recover more than $100 million in disaster response costs and the removal of tons of debris from the bridge. The state of Maryland estimates the cost of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge will be at least $1.7 billion, with completion expected in 2028.

SOUTH