WASHINGTON, Oct 25 — The US Justice Department said yesterday that it has reached a US$100 million (RM434 million) settlement with the Singaporean owner and operator of a cargo ship that destroyed a Baltimore bridge.

The 1,000-foot (300-meter) M/V Dali collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the early morning of March 26, killing six road workers and blocking the busy shipping channel.

Grace Ocean Private Ltd and Synergy Marine Private Ltd have agreed to pay US$101.1 million to settle a civil suit aimed at recovering costs incurred in responding to the disaster and for removing tons of bridge debris from the channel leading to the port of Baltimore, the Justice Department said.

"Nearly seven months after one of the worst transportation disasters in recent memory, which claimed six lives and caused untold damage, we have reached an important milestone with today’s settlement,” Benjamin Mizer, a senior Justice Department official, said in a statement.

"This resolution ensures that the costs of the federal government’s cleanup efforts in the Fort McHenry Channel are borne by Grace Ocean and Synergy and not the American taxpayer,” Mizer said.

The Justice Department said the settlement does not include any damages for eventual rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. That is the subject of a separate claim from the state of Maryland.

The families of the six road workers who lost their lives are also pursuing legal claims of their own.

The Fort McHenry channel leading to the port of Baltimore, a key hub for the auto industry, reopened to commercial navigation on June 10. — AFP