Dali’s Singapore owner seeking share of salvage costs from cargo owners as Baltimore takes legal action

OWNERS of cargo onboard the Singapore-flagged vessel Dali that hit and caused a Baltimore bridge to tumble have been asked by the shipowner to share the salvage costs, which are expected to be “extraordinary”.

Maersk, which chartered the ship when it slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Mar 26, has confirmed to The Business Times that the Singapore-based shipowner Grace Ocean has declared General Average.

This is a maritime principle where all parties involved in a sea voyage shoulder the costs of acts undertaken for the preservation of the ship and cargo from the peril, with the quantum shippers have to pay proportional to their share of the cargo.