As you may recall, on March 26, 2024, the M/V DALI collided with a pier of the Francis Scott Bridge near Baltimore, causing the collapse of the bridge and the blocking of the shipping channel. This incident took the lives of 6 workers. Some of the containers aboard the ship were also damaged. A substantial piece of the bridge deck and roadway was left on the ship’s bow.
Over the past several months, the M/V DALI was cleared of bridge debris and repositioned to Norfolk, VA for offloading of the containers and repairs. We are advised that all the containers have now been offloaded, and further carriage has been or is being arranged or accomplished.
In April 2024, the vessel interests filed a Petition for Limitation of Liability in Federal Court, which set a deadline of September 24, 2024, to file claims against the vessel interests.
In our Special Quest dated April 4, 2024, we asked our clients to notify Avalon if they had cargo aboard the M/V DALI. We did receive such notice from a number of our NVOCC clients as well as cargo owners.
If you are an Avalon client and have yet to notify Avalon of your M/V DALI shipment details, we request that you do so no later than September 13, 2024, in case any protective claim needs to be filed in the Limitation of Liability action. Claims against the vessel interests not filed in a timely manner will be barred.
Should you have specific legal questions, as customary, we recommend that you consult with maritime counsel. If you do not have counsel available, please let us know so we can provide you with a list of law firms that you may wish to hire should you choose to do so.
Please contact your local Avalon representative with any questions.
