The owners of the Dali ship have denied all responsibility for the deadly crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and are seeking a cap of $43.7m for any lawsuit payouts.

In a federal court filing on Monday, the ship’s owner Grace Ocean Private Limited and operator Synergy Marine PTE denied any fault or neglect over the collapse that claimed the lives of six construction workers.

“The [bridge collapse] was not due to any fault, neglect, or want of care on the part of [ship owner & operator], the Vessel, or any persons or entities for whose acts [ship owner & operator] may be responsible,” it reads.

The move to limit liability comes as Baltimore officials opened a temporary shipping route around the wreckage on Monday, to get trade and movement of goods in and out of the port back up and running.

Captain David O’Connell described this as “an important first step along the road to reopening the port of Baltimore”. A second temporary route for deeper vessels will open in the coming days.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore warned the disaster is a “national economic catastrophe” that may have a wide-ranging impact on the US economy.

Key points

• Dali ship owners deny responsibility for deadly bridge crash

• Baltimore opens temporary shipping route around wreckage

• Maryland governor warns the disaster poses a ‘national economic catastrophe’

• A 200-tonne bridge segment removed from Patapsco River

Remembering the victims: Miguel Luna

06:00 , Kelly Rissman

Miguel Luna was the first of six victims who went missing when the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed on Tuesday to be named.

Luna is one of the men who is now presumed dead, his wife María del Carmen Castellón told NBC sister station Telemundo 44 in Spanish.

After the bridge collapsed Ms Castellón said family members like her were able to get into the restricted zone while they desperately waited to hear news of their loved ones.

“They only tell us that we have to wait, that for now, they can’t give us information,” she said earlier in the day.

“[We feel] devastated, devastated because our heart is broken because we don’t know if they’ve rescued them yet. We’re just waiting to hear any news.”

One relative of Luna’s also told Sky News they were “distraught” as they waited to hear news, and that some family members were taken to a location in Baltimore by police, where they could be with families of the other missing people.

His loved ones reportedly said he is from El Salvador and has children.

Luna was also identified by the non-profit organisation Casa, which provides services around Baltimore and other areas to immigrant communities.

“Miguel Luna, from El Salvador, left at 6:30 p.m. Monday evening for work and since, has not come home. He is a husband, a father of three, and has called Maryland his home for over 19 years,” Casa wrote in a statement.

One of Luna’s children, Marvin Luna, told The Washington Post that he knew his father was working on the Key Bridge overnight but did not know it collapsed until one of his friends called him up and said, “The bridge is … gone.”

Marvin then called his father’s phone, but there was no reply.

The latest from the Key Bridge Response

05:00 , Kelly Rissman

The tugboat Crystal Coast pushing a fuel barge, transited the temporary alternate channel created by the Key Bridge Response Unified Command, at 3 p.m., today and is the first vessel to use the channel since the bridge collapsed into the federal waterway on Tuesday.

The barge is used to supply jet fuel to the Department of Defense (DOD) and was transiting to Dover Air Force Base.

The Captain of the Port (COPT) established the temporary alternate channel near Sollers Point for commercially-essential vessels. The temporary channel is on the northeast side of the main ship channel in the vicinity of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. This action is part of a phased approach to opening the main federal channel.

This new temporary channel is marked with government-lighted aids to navigation. It will be limited for transit at the discretion of the COTP and during daylight hours only. This temporary channel has a controlling depth of 11 feet, a 264-foot horizontal clearance, and vertical clearance of 95 feet.

The Unified Command is working to establish a second, temporary alternate channel on the southwest side of the main channel. This second channel will allow for deeper draft vessels with an anticipated draft restriction of 15 to 16 feet.

Commercial traffic starts to move

04:00 , Kelly Rissman

A temporary shipping channel has opened around the Port of Baltimore to keep commercial traffic coming into the city following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge last week.

It is located on the northeast side of the main channel close to the bridge site. It has been marked with government-lighted aids for navigation. Officials said the passage is 11 feet deep with a 264-foot horizontal clearance and a vertical clearance of 95 feet.

It will be accessible to commercially essential vessels, officials added. The action marks one of the first in the effort to reopen the channel. Over the weekend, authorities removed a 250-tonne part of the wreckage from the site.

“This marks an important first step along the road to reopening the port of Baltimore,” US Coast Guard Captain David O’Connell, federal on-scene coordinator, said on Monday. “By opening this alternate route, we will support the flow of marine traffic into Baltimore.”

On Monday, workers were focused on removing a 350-tonne part of the bridge. A representative of the US Coast Guard who spoke to reporters at an afternoon news conference said that officials were also working on creating a second southwest channel to help deeper vessels coming into the area.

Michelle Del Rey has the full story…

Temporary channels to open around collapsed Baltimore bridge wreckage

WATCH: Moment first vessel passes through temporary alternate channel in Baltimore

03:00 , Kelly Rissman

Could ‘Titanic law’ protect owner of ship in Baltimore bridge crash from compensation claims?

02:00 , Kelly Rissman

The owner of the ship that collided with the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge has filed a petition in federal court to restrict its amount of liability in the tragedy which resulted in the deaths of six people.

Grace Ocean Private Limited, the owner of the Dali ship, and Synergy Marine Group, the ship’s manager, submitted the filing under the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851, a piece of legislation that enables ship owners to limit their liability for certain claims to the value of the vessel and its cargo at the end of its journey.

The law notably protected the makers of the “Titanic”. After the ship sank in 1912, its owner, White Star Line, was served with hundreds of lawsuits totalling $16m in damages. Citing the 1851 law, the case ultimately made its way to the US Supreme Court. In the end, negotiations outside of court resulted in a settlement of $664,000 in July 1916.

To get the funds, claimants had to end their claims in the US and England, where the ship set sail, and acknowledge that the owner “had no privity or knowledge of any negligence”, according to documents from the Library of Congress.

Experts say the Monday filing in the Baltimore case was not surprising. “This is exactly what I was expecting would occur,” Martin Davies, an admiralty law professor at Tulane University, said.

Michelle Del Rey has the full story…

Could ‘Titanic law’ protect owner of ship in Baltimore bridge crash?

ICYMI: How did the collision happen?

01:00 , Kelly Rissman

At around 1.30am ET local time, the Singapore-flagged vessel Dali struck a column on the Francis Scott Key Bridge, leading multiple parts of the 1.6-mile-long bridge to tumble into the water.

Just moments before the collision, the ship’s crew issued a mayday call. Maryland Gov Wes Moore added that the call “undoubtedly saved lives,” giving time for authorities to stop cars from continuing on the bridge.

The crew warned the Maryland Department of Transportation that a collision with the bridge “was possible,” the report said. “The vessel struck the bridge causing a complete collapse.”

It’s still unclear what caused the accident. But the ship was just 30 minutes into its 27-day journey to Sri Lanka.

Marcel Muise, the chief investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said data from the shipping container’s voyage data recorder, sometimes referred to as a “black box”, was still being analysed.

Mr Muise said that around 1.27am on Tuesday, one of the two pilots of the Dali had made radio contact regarding a “blackout” and ordered for the port anchor to be dropped as well as issuing additional steering commands.

Several seconds later the pilot issued another radio call over the radio reporting that the Dali had “lost all power and was approaching the bridge,” Mr Muise said.

Transportation authorities say the water under the bridge is around 50 feet deep.

There was no indication that the crash was intentional, officials said.

Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press that it appeared there were “some cargo or retainers hanging from the bridge”, creating unsafe and unstable conditions, and that emergency responders had to operate cautiously.

Jennifer Homendy, chair of the NTSB, said that over 750 tonnes of hazardous materials had been onboard the Dali container ship when the crash occurred.

An NTSB hazmat investigator was able to identify 56 containers of hazardous materials, a total of 764 tonnes of hazardous materials, Ms Homendy told a press conference on 27 March. The materials were “mostly corrosives, flammables, and some miscellaneous hazardous materials”, she added.

Some of the hazmat containers were breached, though state authorities have been made aware.

Dali crew worried ‘what world thinks’ of them after tragic collision with bridge

Wednesday 3 April 2024 00:00 , Kelly Rissman

The crew members stranded for a week on board a cargo vessel that collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore were worried what the world thought of them, an official said.

The Singapore-flagged ship Dali, en route to the south Asian country, has been stuck with 4,000 containers and its mostly Indian crew since last Tuesday after the vessel lost power and collided with a support column of the bridge, leading to its collapse.

The 20 Indian and one Sri Lankan sailors were in good health, including a member who suffered minor injuries, according to officials.

The “rattled” sailors had adequate food on board but were keeping quiet about their situation amid an ongoing investigation, said Joshua Messick, the executive director of the non-profit Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center.

“They’re not saying much at all to anyone who has been in touch with them,” Mr Messick told the BBC.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar has the full story…

Baltimore ship crew worried ‘what world thinks’ days after Key Bridge collapse

Watch: Baltimore mayor Brandon Scott responds to racist remarks

Tuesday 2 April 2024 23:00 , Michelle Del Rey

Second temporary channel opened

Tuesday 2 April 2024 22:30 , Kelly Rissman

A second temporary channel was opened on Tuesday, just one week after the bridge’s catastrophic collapse, allowing commercial traffic to move through.

“I’m thankful that after only a week after the collapse, we have pathways and channels,” Gov Wes Moore said at a press conference.

Despite the victory, Mr Moore warned, “We are still a long way from being able to get the size and the cadence of the commercial traffic back to where it was before the collapse.”

Biden to visit Baltimore as bridge clean up continues

Tuesday 2 April 2024 22:00 , Michelle Del Rey

Local leaders acknowledge ‘long road’ ahead

Tuesday 2 April 2024 21:45 , Kelly Rissman

Today marked one week since the fatal collapse of Baltimore’s Key Bridge, which took six construction workers’ lives.

Speaking at a Tuesday press conference, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott called the incident an “unpseakable tragedy.”

He added, “the road ahead is long and difficult” but we will “utilize every tool” to support the community and businesses.

Leaders also underscored that the bad weather has made the mission to clear the wreckage even more difficult.

US Army Corps of Engineers Col Estee Pinchasin shed light on some of the salvage efforts.

The state of the wreckage has made it difficult to know “where to cut, how to cut” into the tresses submerged in the water. She added, the workers are operating in an “extremely unforgiving” area, but they are developing a plan.

“The compelxity is even more complex than we thought,” Gov Moore said, adding “there are still a lot of unknowns.”

Sen Ben Cardin praised Mitch McConnell’s ‘positive comments’

Tuesday 2 April 2024 21:30 , Kelly Rissman

Maryland Sen Ben Cardin thanked his colleague Sen Mitch McConnell for his “positive comments” that he made earlier in the day.

Mr McConnell said in a radio interview, “In situations like that, whether it’s a hurricane in Florida or an accident like this, the federal government will step up and do the lion’s share of it.”

His comments come after Republicans have criticised the call from Maryland leaders — and President Biden— to use federal funds to pay for the cost of rebuilding the bridge.

In case you missed it, John Bowden has the full story about GOP’s opposition to the use of federal funds for the bridge’s reconstruction:

Baltimore’s mayor calls for bipartisan Key Bridge repair as he faces GOP opposition

Inclement weather has made clearing the wreckage difficult

Tuesday 2 April 2024 21:10 , Kelly Rissman

Gov Wes Moore said at a Tuesday press conference that “current conditions make it unsafe for rescue divers to return to the water.”

But, he added, “We have to move fast. But we cannot be careless… We have already lost six Marylanders we will not lose any more.”

WATCH: White House vows to ‘get to the bottom’ of Baltimore Bridge collapse

Tuesday 2 April 2024 21:00 , Kelly Rissman

Gov Wes Moore gives an update one week after bridge’s collapse

Tuesday 2 April 2024 20:46 , Kelly Rissman

Officials launch website for all information relating to Key Bridge collapse

Tuesday 2 April 2024 20:40 , Michelle Del Rey

A new website with information, including press releases, has been launched to provide the public with information related to the incident.

It’s available here.

Who is Marciel Muise? The man leading the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation

Tuesday 2 April 2024 20:21 , Michelle Del Rey

Marcel Muise is a marine casualty investigator who served in the US Coast Guard and captained oil drilling ships and rigs before joining the safety board, according to The Baltimore Banner.

Mr Muise worked for the NTSB for six years. The collapse is the largest disaster he has been tasked with overseeing since joining the agency.

First vessel passes through new temporary channel

Tuesday 2 April 2024 19:45 , Michelle Del Rey

Brother of one of the deceased men calls him ‘a generous man’

Tuesday 2 April 2024 19:09 , Michelle Del Rey

Martin Suazo Sandoval told NPR that his brother, Maynor Suazo Sandoval, was driven to help his family and his community in Honduras. “My brother was a generous man,” he said.

He also sent money home to his family to start a hotel that helped provide jobs for his family.

US congressman speaks out against Republicans opposed to funding bridge construction

Tuesday 2 April 2024 18:44 , Michelle Del Rey

James E Clyburn, a Democratic congressman from South Carolina, spoke out against some members of US Congress opposed to funding rebuilding efforts for the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge in an interview with NBC News on Tuesday.

“The fact of the matter is, all of us, every state in the nation, all 50 of us, will take our turns needing this kind of assistance”.

Vessels start moving out of Baltimore

Tuesday 2 April 2024 18:10 , Michelle Del Rey

Limited ship traffic resumed for the first time after recovery teams opened a temporary channel with a controlling depth of 11 feet on the northbound side of the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The first vessel to transit the channel was a tugboat pushing a barge supplying jet fuel to the US Department of Defence, the Coast Guard said.

A second temporary channel on the southbound side with a depth of 15 to 16 feet would open “in the coming days”, Maryland governor Wes Moore said.

A third channel with a depth of 20 to 25 feet would allow almost all tug and barge traffic in and out of the port after the debris was cleared, said Coast Guard rear admiral Shannon Gilreath.

Maryland lawmakers hold hearing on emergency legislation for port workers

Tuesday 2 April 2024 17:49 , Michelle Del Rey

Rebuilding process for Francis Scott Key Bridge likely to take several years

Tuesday 2 April 2024 17:30 , Michelle Del Rey

The New York Times is reporting that rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge is taking several years. The bridge took five years to construct before it opened in 1977.

Collapse could fuel reinsurance pricing

Tuesday 2 April 2024 17:10 , Michelle Del Rey

According to the Wall Street Journal, the cost of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge will largely fall on reinsurers.

If the losses from the incident end up at the higher end of estimates, which are currently $2bn to $4bn, then insurers may add reserves to social inflation which could cause them to seek higher prices, the outlet reported.

Last year, natural catastrophe losses were capped at $108bn, above the 10-year average of $89bn.

Non profit to hold news conference Tuesday to call for work permits for long-term undocumented immigrants

Tuesday 2 April 2024 16:50 , Michelle Del Rey

CASA, an organisation that works with immigrants, is holding a news conference on Tuesday to call for better working conditions for undocumented immigrants.

The organisation said it has drafted a letter to President Joe Biden’s administration which it plans to reveal during the event. Two out of the six men that died belonged to the organisation.

Sailors reflect on memories of Francis Scott Key Bridge

Tuesday 2 April 2024 16:30 , Michelle Del Rey

Speaking to The Baltimore Banner, sailors shared their memories of the bridge.

“The bridge was a sign of freedom for me, because when I got there, I knew I could go anywhere,” LeMart Presley, a US Coast Guard licensed 100-ton master captain, told the outlet. “When you see those big cargo ships coming in, and you see where they are from, you think, ‘I can go there, too’”.

See it: US Navy releases images of bridge resting at the bottom of the river

Tuesday 2 April 2024 15:47 , Michelle Del Rey

On Tuesday morning, the US Navy released images of the bridge resting at the bottom of the Patapsco River using sonar technology. Officials used an imaging tool called CODA Octopus to obtain the photos. The tool is being used by divers working on the scene.

Visibility is limited to one to two feet because of the amount of mud and loose bottom along the harbour, the US Army said on X.

“Divers are working in virtual darkness because when lit their view is similar to driving through a heavy snowfall at night with high-beam headlights on”. Complicating matters, divers need to be guided by detailed verbal directions from operators in nearby vessels.

The “Dali” ship continues to remain in danger, officials said

Tuesday 2 April 2024 15:27 , Michelle Del Rey

A natural gas line along the harbour floor further complicates relief efforts, officials told USA Today. Army personnel are working to prevent the ship from shifting in a current. Heavy lift cranes are being brought in to help lift parts of the bridge currently resting on the ship.

Dali ship owners deny all responsibility for deadly Baltimore bridge collapse and call for $43.6m payout cap

Tuesday 2 April 2024 14:41 , Rachel Sharp

The owners of the Dali container ship involved in the deadly collapse of a Baltimore bridge last week, after it crashed into the structure, have denied responsibility and are seeking to limit their legal liability.

Grace Ocean Private Limited, the ship’s owner, and the manager Synergy Marine Pte said in a federal court filing on Monday that they denied any fault or neglect of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that claimed the lives of six construction workers.

The companies are asking for exoneration from liability, but if they are held responsible in lawsuits, the companies are asking for a cap on any payout.

The joint filing, submitted in a Maryland District Court, seeks to cap the companies’ liability at roughly $43.6m.

Read the full story here:

Dali ship owners deny all responsibility for deadly Baltimore bridge collapse

In photos: the scene of the collapse

Tuesday 2 April 2024 14:00 , Michelle Del Rey

Watch: Buttigieg calls all of the conspiracy theories around the bridge’s collapse ‘upsetting’

Tuesday 2 April 2024 13:00 , Michelle Del Rey

Dali crew remain stuck on board ship one week on from disaster

Tuesday 2 April 2024 12:20 , Rachel Sharp

The Dali crew members continue to be stuck on board the damaged ship one week on from the deadly disaster.

The 20 Indian and one Sri Lankan sailors are in good health, including a member who suffered minor injuries, according to officials.

The “rattled” sailors had adequate food on board but were keeping quiet about their situation amid an ongoing investigation, said Joshua Messick, the executive director of the non-profit Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center.

The sailors would likely stay on board until the ongoing investigation was completed.

“The crew members were busy with their normal duties on the ship and assisting the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Coast Guard investigators,” a spokesperson for Grace Ocean Pte Ltd, the owner of the vessel, told news agency PTI.

“At this time, we do not know how long the investigation process will take and until that process is complete, the crew will remain on board.”

Biden told teams to ‘move heaven and earth’ to aid bridge collapse emergency response

Tuesday 2 April 2024 12:00 , Michelle Del Rey

President Joe Biden intructed federal authorities to “move heaven and earth” to help with emergency responses to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge on Tuesday.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president had directed a “whole-of-government response” and wanted work to begin on rebuilding the bridge “as soon as humanly possible”.

“After he was briefed on the collapse, President Biden immediately instructed his team to move heaven and earth to aid in the emergency response and help build — rebuild the bridge as soon as humanly possible,” Ms Jean-Pierre told reporters at a press conference.

“Within hours of the bridge’s collapse, President Biden spoke to Governor Moore, Senator Cardin, Senator Van Hollen, Congressman Mfume, as well as Baltimore’s mayor and county executive. The President’s message to them was clear: We will be with the people of Baltimore every step of the way.”

She added that Mr Biden remains in close contact with US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. The president is due to visit Baltimore this coming week, though details are still unconfirmed.

IN PICTURES: Dali ship sits among the wreckage of the bridge

Tuesday 2 April 2024 11:37 , Rachel Sharp

Could ‘Titanic law’ protect owner of ship in Baltimore bridge crash from compensation claims?

Tuesday 2 April 2024 11:20 , Rachel Sharp

The owner of the ship that collided with the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge has filed a petition in federal court to restrict its amount of liability in the tragedy which resulted in the deaths of six people.

Grace Ocean Private Limited, the owner of the Dali ship, and Synergy Marine Group, the ship’s manager, submitted the filing under the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851, a piece of legislation that enables ship owners to limit their liability for certain claims to the value of the vessel and its cargo at the end of its journey.

The law notably protected the makers of the “Titanic”. After the ship sank in 1912, its owner, White Star Line, was served with hundreds of lawsuits totalling $16m in damages. Citing the 1851 law, the case ultimately made its way to the US Supreme Court. In the end, negotiations outside of court resulted in a settlement of $664,000 in July 1916.

The Independent’s Michelle Del Rey explains:

Could ‘Titanic law’ protect owner of ship in Baltimore bridge crash?

Watch: Baltimore’s Key Bridge featured in The Wire

Tuesday 2 April 2024 11:00 , Michelle Del Rey

Baltimore ship crew worried about ‘world’s perception’ days after Key Bridge collapse

Tuesday 2 April 2024 10:40 , Rachel Sharp

The crew members stranded for a week on board a cargo vessel that collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore were worried what the world thought of them, an official said.

The Singapore-flagged ship Dali, en route to the south Asian country, has been stuck with 4,000 containers and its mostly Indian crew since last Tuesday after the vessel lost power and collided with a support column of the bridge, leading to its collapse.

The 20 Indian and one Sri Lankan sailors were in good health, including a member who suffered minor injuries, according to officials.

The “rattled” sailors had adequate food on board but were keeping quiet about their situation amid an ongoing investigation, said Joshua Messick, the executive director of the non-profit Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center.

Read the full story:

Baltimore ship crew worried about ‘world’s perception’ days after Key Bridge collapse

First stage of removing debris by crane ‘remarkably important moment’

Tuesday 2 April 2024 10:20 , Michelle Del Rey

Maryland Governor Wes Moore said that the first debris lift, which took place on Saturday, was a “remarkably important moment”.

Mr Moore told reporters at a press conference ahead of the operations that the piece of bridge scheduled to be removed by crane was not one on top of the Dali container ship.

“We still do not yet have a timeline as to when we can actually begin lifting pieces off of the Dali, but we know that today is a remarkably important moment, but one that still is going to take further evaluation as to what type of impact that’s going to have on the remainder of the mission,” he said.

Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath added: “The piece of the northern part of the bridge is going to be lifted today, I believe has been cut… I can’t tell you where they are in the stage of the actual lifting but is scheduled to be lifted today.”

Mr Gilreath said he was unsure of the exact dimensions of the piece, but that it was part of the “top section” of the bridge.

“It’s gonna take the day to do it. I mean, they had to do the engineering process to plan how we could make those cuts,” he said. “They’re making those cuts, then they’re going to have to put straps to rig it, and then they will rig it and they will set it on a barge so it can be brought back here.”

Dali ship owners deny responsibility for deadly bridge crash

Tuesday 2 April 2024 10:02 , Rachel Sharp

The owners of the Dali ship have denied all responsibility for the deadly crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and are seeking a cap of $43.7m for any lawsuit payouts.

In a federal court filing on Monday, the ship’s owner Grace Ocean Private Limited and operator Synergy Marine PTE denied any fault or neglect over the collapse that claimed the lives of six construction workers.

“The [bridge collapse] was not due to any fault, neglect, or want of care on the part of [ship owner & operator], the Vessel, or any persons or entities for whose acts [ship owner & operator] may be responsible,” the filing reads.

“Alternatively, if any such faults caused or contributed to the [bridge collapse], or to any loss or damage arising out of the [bridge collapse], which is denied, such faults were occasioned and occurred without [ship owner & operator] privity or knowledge.”

If they are held responsible in lawsuits, the companies are asking for the cap on the payouts – which they claim would cover the value of the ship after losses and damages.

Could ‘Titanic law’ protect owner of ship in Baltimore bridge crash?

Tuesday 2 April 2024 09:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The owner of the ship that collided with the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge has filed a petition in federal court to restrict its amount of liability in the tragedy which resulted in the deaths of six people.

Grace Ocean Private Limited, the owner of the Dali ship, and Synergy Marine Group, the ship’s manager, submitted the filing under the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851, a piece of legislation that enables ship owners to limit their liability for certain claims to the value of the vessel and its cargo at the end of its journey.

The law notably protected the makers of the “Titanic”.

After the ship sank in 1912, its owner, White Star Line, was served with hundreds of lawsuits totalling $16m in damages. Citing the 1851 law, the case ultimately made its way to the US Supreme Court. In the end, negotiations outside of court resulted in a settlement of $664,000 in July 1916.

Michelle Del Rey reports.

Could ‘Titanic law’ protect owner of ship in Baltimore bridge crash?

Baltimore Key Bridge collapse. Everything we know

Tuesday 2 April 2024 09:00 , Michelle Del Rey

The cause of the 26 March collision, which resulted in the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore, is still unknown. As the investigation is still underway, the mission has shifted from one of recovery to one of clearing the waters.

Following an update by authorities on Saturday, here’s everything we know:

What we know about Baltimore Key Bridge collapse as six people still missing

‘Relatively small’ 200-tonne debris lifted after 10 hours of work

Tuesday 2 April 2024 08:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Workers on Monday were able to remove a 200-tonne piece of debris from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge after 10 hours of cutting the steel, governor Wes Moore said, calling it “a relatively small lift”.

“We’re talking about something that is almost the size of the Statue of Liberty,” he told reporters, adding that the scale of the project was “enormous”.

“And even the smallest (tasks) are huge,” he added.

Beneath the surface, the job is even more complicated than originally imagined, said US Coast Guard rear admiral Shannon Gilreath, as the twisted steel is obscured by murky waters darkened by the volume of debris.

“These girders are essentially tangled together, intertwined, making it very difficult to figure out where you need to potentially cut so that we can make that into more manageable sizes to lift them from the water,” he said.

Stranded crew to remain onboard till end of probe

Tuesday 2 April 2024 07:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The stranded 21 crew members on board the Dali cargo vessel will remain on the ship until the completion of the investigation.

The ship has been stuck under Francis Scott Key Bridge debris with 4,000 containers and its mostly Indian crew since last Tuesday after the vessel lost power and collided with a support column of the bridge.

“The crew members are busy with their normal duties on the ship as well as assisting the National Transportation Safety Board and Coast Guard investigators on board,” a spokesperson of Singapore’s Grace Ocean Pte and Synergy Marine told news agency PTI.

The spokesperson said US authorities have begun interviewing the Dali crew members, of whom one is a Sri Lankan national.

“At this time, we do not know how long the investigation process will take and until that process is complete, the crew will remain on board.”

What will a temporary channel in Baltimore port look like?

Tuesday 2 April 2024 07:00 , Michelle Del Rey

According to the Unified Command, the temporary channel will be marked with government lighted aids to help navigate ships through the port and around the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the Dali ship.

The channel will have a controlling depth of 11 feet, a 264-foot horizontal clearance, and vertical clearance 96 feet.

Officials have said that the current 2,000-yard safety zone around the bridge will remain in place and that no vessel or indiviudals will be allowed to enter that zone.

The launch of a temporary channel comes as officials are trying to limit the toll the disaster will take on local, national and global trade and the economy.

In pics: Race against time to clear debris

Tuesday 2 April 2024 06:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Baltimore’s mayor calls for bipartisan Key Bridge repair as he faces GOP opposition

Tuesday 2 April 2024 06:00 , Michelle Del Rey

The mayor of the city of Baltimore is calling on Congress to act as a united body in response to the devastation caused by the crash of a massive container ship into his city’s iconic Francis Scott Key Bridge, which destroyed the crossing and has shut down one of the biggest ports on the East Coast.

Mayor Brandon Scott appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation and told guest host Ed O’Keefe that the disaster was more than just an issue for his state, citing the specific sectors likely to be impacted by the expected months-long closure of the port. The Port of Baltimore is the largest import site for foreign automobiles in the United States, and also services other sectors including agriculture.

“This should not be something that has anything or any conversation around party,” he told CBS. “It matters to the global economy.”

Read the full story here:

Baltimore’s mayor calls for bipartisan Key Bridge repair as he faces GOP opposition

A week later, Dali crew members still stranded on vessel

Tuesday 2 April 2024 05:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

At least 21 crew members onborad the Dali container vessel were stranded on the ship for the last week since the collapse of Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

The ship has been stuck under steel bridge debris with 4,000 containers and its mostly Indian crew since last Tuesday after the vessel lost power and collided with a support column of the bridge.

The stranded men were “rattled” and keeping quiet about their situation as the investigation continues, said Joshua Messick, the executive director of non-profit Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center.

“They’re not saying much at all to anyone who has been in touch with them,” he told BBC.

“They didn’t have WiFi until Saturday and they didn’t really know what the perception of the rest of the world was. They weren’t sure if they were being blamed, or demonised. They just didn’t know what to expect.”

“They are also in a very sensitive situation. What they can say can reflect on the company. I would imagine that they’ve been advised to keep a low-profile for the time being,” Mr Messick added.

ICYMI: The timeline of the events before the crash

Tuesday 2 April 2024 05:00 , Michelle Del Rey

Federal investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have unveiled a more precise timeline of exactly what happened in the runup to the cargo ship’s brutal collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Here’s the NTSB’s revised timeline of the disaster, given in hours, minutes and seconds after experts’ first full day examining the scene on Wednesday:

12.39am: Dali container ship departs from Seagirt Marine Terminal.

1.07am: It enters Fort McHenry Channel.

1.24.59am: Numerous audible alarms recorded on ship’s bridge audio. Voyage data recorder (VDR) stops recording the vessel’s system data, although it is able to continue taping audio from alternative power source.

1.26.02am: VDR resumes recording ship’s system data after glitch. Steering commands and orders regarding its rudder captured on audio.

1.26.39am: Pilot issues very high frequency (VHF) radio call to nearby tugboats requesting assistance for the stricken vessel. Pilot association dispatcher also notifies Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) duty officer regarding blackout, according to data from latter organisation.

1.27.04am: Pilot orders ship’s port anchor to be dropped and issues additional steering commands.

1.27.25am: Pilot issues radio call over VHF radio, reports that vessel has lost all power and is approaching bridge. Transit authority duty officer radios two of its units — one on each side of bridge — that are already on scene and orders them to close traffic. All lanes shut down.

1.29am: Ship’s speed recorded at just under 8 miles per hour. VDR records 33 seconds of sound consistent with vessel’s smash with bridge. MDTA dash cameras meanwhile capture bridge lights going out.

01.29.39am: Pilot radios US Coast Guard to report bridge is down.

Barge hits bridge in Oklahoma just days after Baltimore tragedy

Tuesday 2 April 2024 04:00 , Michelle Del Rey

A highway in Oklahoma was temporarily shut on Saturday after a barge struck a bridge over the Arkansas River, just days after the tragic collision in Maryland.

Read the full story here:

Barge hits bridge in Oklahoma just days after Baltimore tragedy

PICTURED: Wreckage of Baltimore bridge disaster starts to be removed

Tuesday 2 April 2024 03:00 , Michelle Del Rey

A crane stands by at Tradepoint Atlantic terminal near the wreckage:

Debris is cleared from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge:

This aerial view shows the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge lying on top of the container ship Dali in Baltimore:

Carnival cruise line said it’s temporarily redirecting ships to Norfolk, Virginia

Tuesday 2 April 2024 02:00 , Michelle Del Rey

Carnival Cruise Line said it is temporarily moving its operations to Norfolk, Virginia, a move that Royal Caribbean also took in the wake of the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse.

One ship “Carnival Legend” returned to the Virginia port on Sunday. Guests were provided complimentary bus services back to Baltimore, the cruise line said in a statement. A seven-day cruise scheduled to begin on 31 March also departed from Norfolk. Guests on the cruises were informed of the changes.

“Our thoughts remain with the impacted families and first responders in Baltimore,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

“We appreciate the pledge made by President Biden today to dedicate all available resources to reopen Baltimore Harbor to marine traffic as soon as possible. As those plans are finalized, we will update our future cruise guests on when we will return home to Baltimore, but in the meantime, we appreciate the quick response and support from officials in Norfolk.”

Baltimore bridge collapse: Biden to visit Friday as cleanup continues

Tuesday 2 April 2024 01:00 , Michelle Del Rey

President Biden will visit the site of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Friday and will meet with Maryland Governor Wes Moore and other state and local officials as efforts to clear a key maritime shipping artery continue, the White House has said.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at the daily White House press briefing on Monday that Mr Biden would use the visit to “meet with state and local officials and get an on the ground look at federal response efforts”.

Read more by Andrew Feinburg:

Baltimore bridge collapse: Biden to visit Friday as cleanup continues

‘Herculean effort’ as workers begin removing wreckage from water

Tuesday 2 April 2024 00:00 , Michelle Del Rey

US president Joe Biden said on Friday he will go to Baltimore next week.

Tom Perez, senior adviser and assistant to Biden, said on Sunday that plans for the visit were still being worked out. He called the salvage operation a “Herculean undertaking”.

“The Port of Baltimore will be back,” Mr Perez told MSNBC. “The president has said this. We’re going to move heaven and earth to make sure we rebuild the bridge, we clear out the debris as soon as possible, so that we can minimize these disruptions.”

WATCH: What is the economic impact of the Key Bridge collapse?

Monday 1 April 2024 23:00 , Michelle Del Rey

Watch: Moment bridge in Baltimore collapses after ship collision

Monday 1 April 2024 22:17 , Michelle Del Rey

Baker commuting over Baltimore bridge did not hear crash because of loud radio

Monday 1 April 2024 21:45 , Michelle Del Rey

A Baltimore baker who drove over the Francis Scott Key Bridge seconds before its collapse, says he had been blissfully unaware of the catastrophe until receiving a call from a panicked co-worker.

Larry Desantis told the Baltimore Banner that despite being in the immediate vicinity he had not heard the container ship collide with the bridge because he had been playing his car radio loudly.

Mr Desantis, head baker at Herman’s Bakery in Dundalk, had been travelling on his regular commute in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

According to the Banner, he had made it off the bridge around 1:27am. About a minute later, at around 1.29am the bridge collapsed.

Read the full story:

Baker commuting over Baltimore bridge did not hear crash because of loud radio

Governor Wes Moore says second temporary channel to open in oncoming days

Monday 1 April 2024 21:30 , Michelle Del Rey

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Governor Wes Moore said that a second southwest channel will be constructed to help deeper vessels coming into the area. The channel will measure 15 feet deep and will open this week.

“The work is moving”, Mr Moore said. “This mission continues”. Separately, he said, authorities would be moving this afternoon to help remove a 350 tonne piece of the bridge pending weather conditions, specifically lightening.

“The scale of this project is enormous”, he said.

Photos of debris washing up on Maryland beaches

Monday 1 April 2024 21:00 , Michelle Del Rey

Brian Chisholm, a Republican state delegate said that constituents in Anne Arundel County are reporting sightings of wreckage washing up on local beaches.

Fund for families has now reached over $300,000, Baltimore mayor says

Monday 1 April 2024 20:30 , Michelle Del Rey

A fund for the families has now reached over $300,000, Baltimore Mayor Brandon M Scott said in an interview with CBS News.

“The human impact of this unthinkable tragedy remains our first priority — supporting the families of those we lost and addressing the effects this will have on Baltimore,” Mr Scott said on X. “And we will remain focused on the mission at hand”.

Anyone wanting to donate can do so here.

Governor Wes Moore announces four directives during news conference

Monday 1 April 2024 20:23 , Michelle Del Rey

The governor said he had the following directives: Recover the four remaining victims, clear the channel and reopen to traffic, take care of Port of Baltimore workers going without work and rebuild the Key Bridge.

Owner of “Dali” attempts to restrict liability using Titanic-era law

Monday 1 April 2024 20:00 , Michelle Del Rey

The owner of the ship, Grace Ocean Private Ltd, and the manager of the ship, Synergy Marine Group, filed a petition for exoneration from or limitation of liability in US District Court in Baltimore on Monday, according to the Baltimore Banner.

The Limitation of Liability Act of 1851,  which was used to help protect the makers of the “Titanic”, allows ship owners to attempt to limit their liability to the value of the ship and its cargo at the end of the trip.

Maryland delegate says pieces of bridge are being found on nearby beaches

Monday 1 April 2024 19:30 , Michelle Del Rey

Brian Chisholm, a Republican member of the Maryland State Delegation representing Anne Arundel County, said his constituents have been finding pieces of the bridge washed up on nearby shores in the Riviera Beach communities, close to the site of the collapse. The Stoney Creek side of the beach has been particularly hard, he said.

Officials have now established a debris reporting hotline at (410) 205-6625, he added.

Business recovery centres now open to help small businesses impacted by Port of Baltimore closure

Monday 1 April 2024 19:00 , Michelle Del Rey

Two of the centres opened in Baltimore County on Monday, Baltimore Mayor Brandon M Scott announced on X. The aim of the centres is to help process emergency relief to business owners.

Officials are maintaining a no drone zone in the area surrounding the bridge

Monday 1 April 2024 18:45 , Michelle Del Rey

“We take any incursion into the restricted airspace around the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse very seriously,” Maryland Governor Wes Moore said in a news release. “Please help ensure the safety of all first responders and crews in the area by not interfering with their work.”

Federal and local law enforcement officials said they intend to enforce a no drone zone surrounding the bridge, according to a news release. Anyone who violates the restrictions could face federal charges.

“It is harmful to the recovery operations, and it is illegal”,  William J. DelBagno, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Baltimore field office, said.

The zone extends for three nautical miles in radius from the centre of the bridge and from the surface, including 1500 feet above ground level.

Non-profit organisation is calling for better conditions for migrant workers after collapse

Monday 1 April 2024 18:01 , Michelle Del Rey

CASA, a non-profit organisation supporting migrant workers, is calling for better conditions for migrants in the wake of the collapse.

Temporary channel has been established, authorities say

Monday 1 April 2024 16:43 , Michelle Del Rey

A temporary channel has been established to help move Port of Baltimore traffic. The channel is located on the northeast side of the main channel in the vicinity of the bridge for commercially essential vessels.

“This marks an important first step along the road to reopening the port of Baltimore,” Captain David O’Connell, federal on-scene coordinator, said in a news release on Monday morning. “By opening this alternate route, we will support the flow of marine traffic into Baltimore.”

The action is part of a phased approach to opening the port, officials said. The temporary channel has government-lighted navigation aids and has a controlling depth of 11 feet, providing a 264-foot clearance and a vertical clearance of 95 feet, the statement said.

Royal Caribbean says it’s rerouting ships after bridge collapse

Monday 1 April 2024 16:26 , Michelle Del Rey

In a statement, a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean said the company is rerouting some of its cruises. Passengers will be getting compensation and temporary shuttle transportation, the company added. The cruise ships will now be docking in Norfolk, Virginia, a port that other companies are turning to in the midst of the tragedy.

Upcoming cruises taking place on 4 April and 12 April will sail from Norfolk. Guests booked on those trips will also receive compensation in order to make any necessary adjustments to their travel plans. Upon returning from the 12 April cruise, the line called “Vision of the Seas” will head off to The Bahamas for scheduled maintenance.

“Our guests and travel partners are being directly notified of these updates”, the companies said.

Maryland is 39th in the country for structurally deficient bridges

Monday 1 April 2024 16:06 , Michelle Del Rey

According to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, the state is 39th in the country for structurally deficient bridges. The state has identified needed repairs on 1,595 bridges, according to the state’s database. That number has gone down some when compared to the 1,646 that needed work in 2019.

West Virginia is first in the country for structurally deficient bridges, while Arizona was last.

Maryland lawmakers introduce legislation to help port workers

Monday 1 April 2024 15:46 , Michelle Del Rey

At least two bills have been submitted by Maryland state lawmakers to help those impacted by the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse. The Port Act, or SB 1188, was submitted by Senate President Bill Ferguson on Friday. The goal of the legislation is to assist those impacted by the closure. It’s now in committee and is expected to be heard during a meeting this week.

SB 1187 was also introduced Friday and gives the governor emergency legislation to expedite the rebuilding of the bridge. It also gives the governor additional state-of-emergency powers to access additional tools to tackle the crisis.

Trump criticised for staying silent on Baltimore bridge collapse

Monday 1 April 2024 14:40 , Rachel Sharp

Despite continuing to post attacks against Joe Biden on social media over the weekend, Donald Trump has remained largely silent on the Baltimore bridge collapse.

Since Tuesday night when a cargo ship slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing six people, all immigrants, the former president has only posted one clip of Sean Hannity criticising President Joe Biden for making only a brief remark and “making it all about himself by mentioning his personal connection”.

Mr Trump, who is usually known for his consistent and repeated posts on social media on any topic in the national news, is being criticised for remaining largely silent.

Republican strategist Scott Reed said this silence from Mr Trump is “a little weird,” journalist Mike Sington shared on Twitter.

“It was a national tragedy, it’s going to cost $2 billion, it’s going to screw up a lot of people’s lives and impact goods travelling around the world,” Mr Reed said, according to Mr Sington’s post on X.

“At a minimum, express sympathy toward the poor six men that died that were doing their jobs on the midnight shift, keeping commerce flowing.

WATCH: NTSB releases new video on board Dali ship after Baltimore bridge collapse

Monday 1 April 2024 13:20 , Rachel Sharp

Recap: Baltimore Key Bridge collapse. Everything we know

Monday 1 April 2024 13:00 , Mike Bedigan

The cause of the 26 March collision, which resulted in the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore, is still unknown. As the investigation is still underway, the mission has shifted from one of recovery to one of clearing the waters.

Here’s a recap of everything we know:

What we know about Baltimore Key Bridge collapse as six people still missing

Pete Buttigieg: No current timeline for reopening channel or rebuilding bridge

Monday 1 April 2024 12:40 , Rachel Sharp

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg revealed on Sunday that there is no current timeline for reopening the channel or to rebuilding the destroyed Francis Scott Key Bridge following last week’s disaster.

Speaking on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, he said: “I can tell you the original bridge took about five years to build, but that doesn’t necessarily inform us about the timeline on the reconstruction.

“We don’t fully know everything we need to know about the condition of the portions of the bridge that did not collapse.”

Officials are however planning to open a temporary shipping route around the wreckage in a bid to get trade and movement of goods in and out of the port up and running as soon as possible.

Baltimore officials forced to deny right-wing theories tying disaster to DEI

Monday 1 April 2024 12:26 , Rachel Sharp

Baltimore officials have been forced to deny right-wing theories tying the bridge disaster to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes.

Several Republican figures have baselessly suggested that the crash that left six construction workers dead was caused by DEI.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore blasted the claims in a CNN “State of the Union” interview on Sunday.

“My response is I have no time for foolishness,” he said.

“I’m locked in on making sure that we can bring closure and comfort to these families and making sure that we’re going to keep our first responders safe or doing heroic work.

“On making sure that we’re going to open up this channel and be able to get boats and ships and get our economic engine going again, making sure that we’re taking care of our people to include our first responders and families and small businesses who have been impacted by this. And I’m making sure that we’re going to get the Key Bridge rebuilt. I have no time for foolishness, and so I’m not going to delve into it.”

Maryland governor says disaster is a ‘national economic catastrophe’

Monday 1 April 2024 09:41 , Rachel Sharp

Maryland Governor Wes Moore has warned that the Key Bridge disaster is a “national economic catastrophe” that will have a wide-ranging and long-lasting impact on the American economy.

“People have to remember this is not a Baltimore catastrophe, not a Maryland catastrophe,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union on Sunday.

“This is a national economic catastrophe as well.”

He explained: “This port is one of the busiest, most active ports inside of the country. And so this is not just going to have an impact on Maryland. This is going to impact the farmer in Kentucky. This is going to impact the auto dealer in Ohio. This is going to impact the restaurant owner in Tennessee.”