The owner and operator of the giant container ship that went down the Francis Scott Key Bridge last month should be held fully responsible for the deadly collapse, according to court papers filed Monday on behalf of Baltimore’s mayor and city council.

Both companies filed a petition shortly after the March 26 collapse asking the court to limit their liability under a pre-Civil War provision of the Maritime Law of 1851 — a routine but important procedure for such cases. . A federal court in Maryland will finally decide who is responsible and how much they owe in what could become one of the costliest maritime disasters in history.

Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Limited owns the Dali, the ship that veered off course and crashed into the bridge. Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., also based in Singapore, is the vessel manager.

In their filing Monday, lawyers for the city accused them of negligence, arguing that the companies should have realized that Daly was unfit for the trip and operated the plane with a qualified crew, among other issues. should have done

A spokesman for the companies said Monday it would be inappropriate to comment on pending litigation.

The plane was en route to Sri Lanka when it lost power shortly after leaving Baltimore and struck a bridge support column, collapsing the span and sending six road crew members to their deaths.

“For more than four decades, cargo ships have made thousands of trips under the Key Bridge each year without incident,” the city’s complaint reads. “There was nothing about March 26, 2024 that should have changed.”

FBI agents boarded the stalled plane last week during a criminal investigation. A separate federal investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board will include an investigation into whether the plane experienced electrical problems before it began its journey, officials have said. This investigation will generally focus on Dali’s electrical system.

In their previous petition, Grace Ocean and Synergy sought to limit their liability to approximately $43.6 million. The petition estimated that the vessel was worth up to $90 million and was owed more than $1.1 million in charter income. The estimate also cuts two major expenses: at least $28 million in repair costs and at least $19.5 million in salvage costs.

Grace Ocean also recently initiated a process requiring cargo owners to cover certain salvage costs. The company announced a “general average” that allows a third-party adjuster to determine what each shareholder should contribute.

Baltimore leaders argue that the ship’s owner and manager should be held accountable for their role in the disaster, which has halted most marine traffic through the Port of Baltimore and disrupted an important East Coast trucking route. The filing states that the economic implications for the Baltimore area could be devastating.

“Petitioners’ negligence caused them to destroy the Key Bridge, and single-handedly shut down the Port of Baltimore, a source of jobs, municipal revenue, and no small amount of pride for the City of Baltimore and its residents,” the attorneys wrote. is,” the lawyers wrote.

Lawyers representing the collapse victims and their families have also vowed to hold the companies accountable and oppose their request for limited liability.

Meanwhile, rescue workers are working to remove thousands of tons of collapsed steel and concrete from the Patapsco River. They have opened three temporary channels to allow some ships to pass through the area, but the port’s main shipping channel is expected to remain closed for several more weeks.